- It will not look modern in terms of theology (but it will probably look very modern in terms of technology).
- It will not look American in terms of governance, and the Global South will rise to a position of power and respect within its ranks.
- It will accept a new role in American pluralism as just another minority interest.
- It will regain the respect that it lost during its captivity within secular philosophy.
- It will grow.
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Aug 28 Hudson Barton. Comments: 1
In response to "Born Again in the USA"
The captioned article from "Foreign Affairs" magazine is not about the Christianity that I know. It's about a secular religion of family values, hard work, stoicism, etc. Sometimes this religion is connected to Christianity and sometimes it is not. The author uses the word "Evangelical" to describe us, but it is perhaps the most overused and abused term in America's religious lexicon.
I do agree that the wind of Christian renewal is blowing right now, but it departs from the practice of the last 40-60 years which is noted for its syncretistic discovery of "spiritual meaning". The author unfortunately thinks "God is Back" because the same quest for meaning has been renewed. However the type of Christianity that raises one up by one's moral bootstraps and plays nicely in the secular playground no longer exists. It is theologically, philosophically, and practically bankrupt. The post-modern western mindset is crumbling.
I want to say that the mindset of churches that are NOT crumbling but rather growing is "post-evangelical". They are more like the churches that grew out of evangelistic efforts in the Global South during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are really the opposite of the "Jesus Movement" of the 1970's or of any other Christian revival in America's history. This revival is not reclaiming a Christian majority but rather falling back into defensive positions from which it hopes to survive an age of secular oppression.
Depending on your perspective, the Christian religion is either being pruned or laid waste in the West. The Church's traditional ranks are declining rapidly, and in the mainline denominations the decline will continue. What replaces that "church" will be something that the author of "Born Again in the USA" does not comprehend.
| Sue Hague | Your blog brings to mind the famous quote by C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p. 56) about some people classifying Jesus as a 'great moral teacher.' Given what Jesus said, "he's either a poached egg or the Devil from Hell. . . But let's have no patronizing nonsense about Jesus being a great moral teacher. He did not leave that open to us. He did not intend to." Amen! August 29, 2009 |