Posted on 03/02/2008 6:53:59 PM PST by Alex Murphy
[snip]
The shift in religious affiliation, or away from religious affiliation, has the most correlation, in my view, with that range of religious cultural assumptions than with any specific doctrine. And when people move from one affiliation to another, they are choosing a better cultural fit.
[snip]
Here’s what this looks like on the ground. There is a large United Church of Christ (liberal Protestant) church in a western suburb of Chicago where 90% of the large and active church membership was not raised in the Congregational tradition. More than half of this church’s growing membership were formerly Catholic. The pastor told me that in a meeting on stewardship, a church member of several years and now a member of the senior leadership of the church, raised a hand and queried why this committee was spending so much time on fund-raising. “Doesn’t the diocese just send us a check?” he wondered. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Protestant churches cannot count on their members knowing anything about the history and faith commitments of their particular tradition. These folks who are migrating from Catholic to Protestant or from liberal to evangelical or evangelical to progressive or whatever the pattern know more what they don’t want in a church than what they do want or believe.
This is true at our seminary as well. We are a graduate school that trains people for religious leadership. We stand in the Congregational tradition (we’re the Pilgrims!), and yet today our student body has between twenty-five and thirty different denominations and even religions (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist). Our faculty is very diverse as well, with United Church of Christ, Baptist, and Catholic representatives among others.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.washingtonpost.com ...
This part is so true. Many Christians today appear to believe that Christianity went dormant from the Ascension until the Jesus Freaks around 1970, or even dormant until just shortly before they themselves prayed to receive Christ. They have no knowledge of the movements of Christianity through the ages and aren't interested in the teachings and writings of the church fathers. I mentioned Martin Luther to someone and she thought he was a relative of some black guy! We are teaching very baby Christians. Somehow those of my parent's generations didn't teach my generation and we couldn't teach the next generation.
I am cognizant that this falling away has happened before. God does preserve a remnant of His people. I am expecting the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work of revival.
On the other hand, it is wonderful to go to these churches where people used to be all kinds of different faiths and traditions, but they chose this one because they want to be part of this kind of a church. This ...is more dynamic and faithful than just sitting in the pew in the Methodist (Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic—you fill in the blank) church that your parents sat in and their parents sat in etc. without ever asking yourself “why?”
I can agree with this paragraph. It would be more wonderful for parents to accept the charge that their first responsibility is to teach and pass the faith down to their children who in turn will teach their own children. It is seen in the pages of the Old Testament that God works frequently (not solely) through families. We (generalization of many Americans) appear to have failed in passing our faith to our children.
The closing paragraph of the article seems to be a logical disconnect.
Uses the word "Protestant" as a synonym for liberal, and makes the standard liberal assumption that American cultural decline represents a victory for liberalism.
“I am cognizant that this falling away has happened before”.
We have entered into a new “dark ages”. With incredible information available at this generation’s fingertips they refuse to learn from or about previous generations of Christians.
AUTHENTICITY in spirituality
is way above a lot of other stuff.
Interesting that the word "revival" does not appear in the New Testament.
I've wondered for several years our fascination with the word and how there is never even a whisper of a prayer for it in the New Testament. I believe that's because the Body of Christ is not in need of revival at all for it is alive and thriving in the world.
It seems to me that when we say we are in need of "revival," we are saying that we need to revisit something, i.e., tradition, that should have long died and left dead.
"Tradition is useful in deciphering what we should have never done." - Joram Roubique
And this is why it’s post-denominational. People are starting to figure out what a crock most organized religion is, and they’re wanting a relationship directly with Jesus instead.
Pffft...yeah like unorganized religion has a stellar track record. People think that just because they are not in an organized body of believers, they can somehow avoid all the problems that said bodies have.
A group can become corrupted, yes. But the person who has no church but his own living room can become just as corrupted, just as smug, just as arrogant, just as worldly, just as forgetful of the things of God. It is sin and especially pride that brings down churches--sin and pride to which every human being is subject. And when it comes right down to it, there's no one more wracked with pride than the stiff-necked amateur theologian who refuses to submit to any authority but himself. I'll take a humble mainline churchgoer over him anyday.
This American fetish with religious invididualism has less to do with "just following Jesus" and more to do with "just following myself." I oughtta know. I lived that way for years.
If they wanted a "relationship" with the real Jesus, they'd want a relationship built the way Jesus directed it to be built. The real Jesus founded a real church, which has a real, objective existence. It is not merely a ragtag collection of collections of vaguely like-minded people who like to be entertained on Sunday morning.
I think what they really want is to be entertained, coddled, and affirmed in their sins, and have a nice relationship with a warm fuzzy father figure. I don't see very many people desiring a relationship with the Jesus who said "Depart from me, accursed ones" or "You are of your father, the devil" or "The way to perdition is broad, and many there are who find it". He's got far too many rough edges to be the object of their "Jesus is my boyfriend" longing.
Interesting, but my own denomination:
-Is considered one of the fastest growing denominations out there. Started in 1973 (or was it 74?) We expect to hit 1,000,000 members in the next 15 years
-Our seminary is turning out more M.Divs than we have churches. The answer? Plant more churches. No Buddhists here. You must be a Christian under the care of a Christian church to attend.
I agree with everything you said, because we are basically all screwed up.
But when you remove the structure that keeps the screwed up stuff in place at any expense (especially the expense called the pastor’s salary), you at least have a chance to get it right.
Absolutely. But what’s the typical pastor to do? You might offend those tithers and they won’t ever come back.
A first century type of fellowship doesn’t depend on money like that, since there’s no significant overhead.
Big buildings, high-def projectors, music programs, lighting, etc., all cost lots of time, energy and money. Traditional church is set up to funnel lots of passive spectators (and their money) through the influence of a relatively few ‘full time ministers’. Gotta keep the beast fed...
How can I get closer to “God” in your church [or anyone’s] than I can get in my own bathroom?
Exactly. There is no mediator between God and man, except Christ Jesus our high priest.
Having said that, we do need one another as we live out the life of God, as members of a body need the others. When the ecclesia comes together, the expression of Christ the Head manifests through His body.
“Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”
As recently as my parent's generation (boomers) you were pretty much expected to declare your affiliation, even if you had never been to Church or Temple for most of your life. We are all simply being more honest.
I wonder if “post-denominational” is just another way of saying the Mainline Protestant churches have collapsed, which isn’t news.
“I wonder if “post-denominational” is just another way of saying the Mainline Protestant churches have collapsed, which isn’t news.”
I think that is pretty much the case.
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