A Post-Christian World

If you've read this blog very much, you know I surf around looking for and reading other blogs.  Sometimes, I'm looking for ideas for this one; other times, I'm just reading.  As I was reading The Wesley Report, I noticed the author referencing a site called Hacking Christianity.  In it, he said "I read and enjoy his blog daily, even though he and I often disagree".  As I don't agree with Shane (author of the Wesley Report) very often, I immediately clicked on the provided link.  At first, I worried that it would be just another Christian blog.  That changed when I  started looking at the "About" page of the website.  First, the author is Jeremy Smith, a United Methodist pastor.  That's not a must-have, but it is nice to read something by someone coming the same place as I am.  Second, he said "We live in a Post-Christian World"  And explained that statement with "What this means is that Christianity is no longer the dominant narrative, nor does it shape what the world thinks like in previous centuries. To remain relevant, Christianity must find ways to place itself in the rhythms of the world, or, better, to beckon the world to the rhythms of the Christian way".  I've read a lot of stuff saying that the church needs to adjust to a post-modern world, but I haven't seen many explanations about what that means.  Here, in one paragraph, this guy laid it out in a way I could grasp.  The question is how do we do that?

Before we discuss the how, I'd like to get into that statement a little.  In it, he says that that Christians must find ways to into the rhythms of the world or, better yet, bring the world into our rhythms.  A lot of people are going to read that and say why should we conform to the ways of the world?  Doesn't the Bible specifically say we shouldn't do that? (Romans 12:2)  Yes, but do we not find uses for things of this world to spread the gospel everyday?  I think if we find ways to integrate ourselves and our beliefs into the larger rhythms of the world, the world will find its way to us and our rhythms.  Another way of looking at this is that if we're not out in world spreading the message, how is anyone going to get it?

How do we find our way into the rhythms of the world and beckon them to ours?  We can avail ourselves of all the new technology that's available and get our message out and in people's faces quicker and more efficiently than ever, these days.  But, is the current message going to be relevant to our intended audience?  The initial reaction is to say "Of course it does!!!"  And, even if didn't many of us probably wouldn't willing to look at a change.  "Change?" you shout, "What change?  We've been doing this way for 2000 years.  If it was good enough for my ancestors, it's good enough for me".  Before you say you'd never react that way, think about it.  What if the person talking about changing things is challenging some of your long held beliefs?  I'm not saying that everything should be on the table, I'm saying we need to figure out what's going to be on there and not let knee jerk reactions rule that process.  If we do it right, if we can find that synchronicity with the rest of the world, then those people who need to hear us won't just write us off and they'll be willing to give our way a shot.  Maybe.

Rethinking Church

The United Methodist Church (of which I am a member) has started a new ad campaign aimed primarily at people aged 18 to 34. In it, they pick up on many of the tenets of the emerging Christianity (hereafter referred to as E. C.) conversation and present them in a Methodist setting. I've looked at the websites involved, watched the promo video and I have to say I'm impressed. Well, let me hedge that a bit. I'll be impressed if this is embraced by the congregations as a whole and it becomes more than an ad campaign.

The question is how do we do that? Make it more than a series of commercials, that is. I think our focus has to be on making this a better world and bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to fruition right here on earth, right now in our time. As soon it becomes about filling pews or "saving souls", it will become a dismal failure. The people we're reaching out to with this are smart folks and can smell a fake a mile away. We have to present ourselves as people with a better way to live. Not the only way, just a better way. That attitude could well be what drove them away or kept them from getting involved in the church. You'll notice I said "getting involved" instead "attending church". That's one of those things we have to rethink for this to work. Get involved in the church on a personal level and live out our faith on a daily basis. In whatever form that takes for you. Find your gifts (we all have them, you know) and use them. That's what they're for.

Some people in this movement that's not really a movement (E. C.) think that advertising is wrong. Or, at least the wrong way to go about things. Rob Bell said that when they started Mars Hill Bible Church people wanted to put up a sign. He said no, that they wanted people that took the time to seek them out. I understand where he's coming from on this. I even agree..., to a point. I, myself, don't particularly like the idea of a sign out front. Especially those with the pithy little sayings on them. Partly, because I heartily disagree with the theology behind the statements. But, also because I think it cheapens things a bit. It's church and it's wonderful and mysterious and fulfilling and I could go on and on about it. Advertisement, to me, wipes all that out and brings to down to the level of selling used cars. On the other hand, how are people going to find us if we don't put our message out there? The fundamentalists haven't shied away from that and make sure everyone knows where they stand. I think they're so wrong it's not funny, but at least I know where they're about. We Methodists haven't done so well in that respect. How many times have you told someone you were a Methodist and were asked "What's that?" or "What do you guys believe?" I'm hoping that we'll rectify that oversight with "Rethink Church". I also hope we truly do "Rethink Church".

Evangelism vs Evangelicalism

Evangelism has gotten a bad rap lately. In fact, in some circles it's almost a dirty word. I can understand this, some of the "evangelism" that I've seen over the years bordered on coercion. A lot of it could also be considered offensive. Ann Coulter's comment that Christians want Jews to be "perfected" is an example. I think part of what's going on here is that people are confusing "evangelism" with "evangelicalism". Evangelism is merely spreading the good news of Christ throughout the world. Evangelicalism, to me, is a horse of a different color. Micheal Spenser, of the InternetMonk blog qualifies Evangelicalism as the following:

1. Protestant, even strongly anti-Catholic

2. Baptistic, even in its non-Baptist form

3. Shaped by the influence of Billy Graham and his dominance as an symbol and leader

4. Shaped by the influence of Southern Baptist dominance in the conception of evangelism

5. Influenced by revivalism and the ethos of the Second Great Awakening

6. Open to the use of technology

7. Oriented around individualistic pietism and a vision of individualistic Christianity

8. Committed to church growth as the primary evidence of evangelism

9. Committed to missions as a concept and a calling, but less as a methodology

10. Asserting Sola scriptura, but largely unaware of the influence of its own traditions

11. Largely anti-intellectual and populist in its view of education

12. Traditionally conservative on social, political and cultural issues

13. Anti- Creedal, reluctantly confessional

14. Revisionist toward Christian history in order to establish its own historical legitimacy

15. Attempting, and largely failing, to establish a non-fundamentalist identity

16. A low view of the sacraments and sacramental theology

17. A dispensational eschatology, revolving around the rapture and apocalyptic views of immanent last days



While not perfect, this is a pretty good list and hits most, if not all, of the high points. Evangelicalism tends to run most strongly in fundamentalist circles, most especially (from what I can see) Calvinist ones. I'm not trying to point fingers..., well, yeah, I am. I have a real problem with this kind of stuff. First of all, I don't understand the idea behind Calvinist thought. I mean, why would God choose for some of his children to accept him and not others? Especially, when not accepting him means being forever separated from God. That said, these folks, well-meaning though they may be, are the ones doing the very things I mentioned earlier and more. There is an undercurrent of arrogance and superiority running through the Evangelical line of thought. They never say it and would vociferously deny it if you asked them, but it certainly sounds like they believe that, as Christians, they're above everyone else. And, much of what they do crosses the line and moves from evangelism into proselytizing. Many evangelical defend their stance with an almost fanatical devotion. Unfortunately, as James Jordan said " Those who want to bang the drum for a 450-year old tradition are dooming themselves to irrelevance."



Many emerging Christians would call themselves "post-evangelical" if asked. Now, I'm sure you're asking "What's post-evangelical?" Good question, let's see if I can answer it. Post-evangelicalism involves people who have stepped away from evangelicalism, but not the Christian faith. Some of their complaints with Evangelicalism include:

1) a focus on individualism instead community

2) anti-intellectualism

3) narrow or partisan political views

4) lack or engagement (almost a rejection) of art and society

5) insensitive of homosexuals

6) rigid reliance on doctrine, especially Scriptural Inerrancy

There are more, I'm sure, but I think you get the idea. There is a growing group of young folks out there that are looking for God and a place to learn and worship. And, they're not satisfied with the status quo. They want a church based on community, one that uses it's missions to make the world a better place and not to proselytize. A church that respects other religions and beliefs. A church that practices evangelism in the everyday lives of it's members and not by putting up a sign or street-corner witnessing. Whether we can live up to that standard remains to be seen.

Progressive Christianity

I've taken the conservative side of the Christian faith to task several times here. Not without good cause, I believe. The other side of that equation is Progressive (or Liberal) Christianity. Before I go any further, I should voice a disclaimer. It's going to be retroactive too, and cover those things I've already said. On all sides of this discussion are good people, trying their best to live like Christ. I just disagree with the ways that some of them do it. Now, onto today's subject. First of all, Progressive or Liberal Christianity are actually two different things. Liberal Christianity grew out of the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century. This was a time of great cultural change, helped along by the successful rebellion in the United States against the British Empire. This affected everything and religion was no different. Some the tenets of Liberal Christianity include: a) rejection of the inerrancy doctrine of the Bible; b) non-traditional views of heaven and hell; c) wider scope of views about salvation (including universal salvation) ; personal view of God. There are more, but I think you get the picture. Progressive Christianity is a bit more like the accepted view of the word "liberal". One of it's most identifying aspects is social justice. I've got nothing against social justice, in fact, I try to support it whenever possible. In fact, Wesley was almost a fanatic on the subject. The problem is that it can be the first step onto the proverbial slippery slope. All to often, Liberal or Progressive morphs into the Social Gospel. The Social Gospel takes Christian ethics to social problems. Nothing wrong with that, in on of itself. Unfortunately, it can on a life of itself and you stop attending church and end up going to social activism meeting. I've seen that happen in the youth group I work with. We did a lot of things for the homeless, the hungry and those in need and very little religious education.

Worship tends to get a little stale with this model, especially with young people. Add in the reluctance of some adults to listen and reach out to those younger than themselves and you'll see young people either leaving the church or sitting around bored because someone else made them come. Not good. Combine this with the fundamentalism of the conservatives and it can really get ugly. It was only matter of time before someone stood up and said "This ain't workin, we need to find a new way". That's what this is about, finding a new way. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to change everything, that would be stupid. There are so many good things we're already doing on both sides. However, the current model has it's flaws. I see it in my own church. We've just moved to a new building and are experiencing a growth like I've never seen before. But, that growth is all families in their 30's and 40's, mostly with young children. Now, this is normal. Folks that haven't been to church in a while start a family and gravitate back toward the church because they want their children to be brought up the way they were. While that's good, why don't we try and reach them before they get to this point? That's going to require changes of us, the old farts; something we're not that good at. But, I think the result will be well worth it. Who knows, we might even find we like it.

Yesterday

Saturday, I took part in a church service project. A family in the area suffered a house fire and the insurance company, in all it's wisdom, wasn't allowing the woman anywhere near enough to make the necessary repairs. Now, the actual fire and heat damage was confined to the living room and kitchen and normally, those would be the only rooms that would have to gutted and rebuilt. Areas that were just sooty from the smoke could be cleaned and repainted, carpet replaced, that sort of thing. Unfortunately, this isn't a normal case. The woman's teenage daughter has a respiratory ailment, so the entire house has to gutted and rebuilt. To help stretch her money, the lady turned to Wake County Health and Human Services who, in turn, called our church to see if we could help. Help we did. At around 10 am yesterday morning, 18 people descended on the house and began cleaning it out. By noon, when I had to leave, the entire 1st floor was all but done. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if those who stayed on didn't finish the job.

Now, I don't relate this story to blow my horn or that of my particular church. Or Christians in general, frankly. No, I brought this up to highlight another tenet of Christian life: missional living. I'm talking living the missionary lifestyle in order to bring the gospel message to others.
There are lots of ways to do this. Service projects like the one above only scratch the surface and, truthfully, are the easy way out. I mean, really, you can go out and spend a Saturday doing home repairs, serving food at a homeless shelter, visiting shut-ins, etc. Then, the rest of the week, you go back to a "me first and screw everyone else" attitude. If you spend all week calling yourself a Christian, but acting like a selfish ass, you might as well stay home on Saturday. Maybe you can spend the time getting a clue, because it sounds like you don't have one. The whole point of doing this stuff is to spread the love that God has for us and let others in on the deal. If you're pissing off everyone you come into contact with because your attitude sucks..., well that kinda defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it? Another thing about the idea of missional living is that it's not just for Missionaries (I use the caps to denote the professionals), all of us are Christ's missionaries everywhere we go. People that know us and know we profess to be Christian are watching to see what we do and how we do it. There are a lot people out there who've never been inside a church and many others who haven't been in a long time. We can be the deciding factor as to whether they ever step foot inside a church for the rest of their lives. As a my brother's pastor once said "You're the only Bible some folks will ever read".