Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Is Evangelicalism Dead?
It's everywhere - rumors of the death of Evangelicalism. I'll link to this post at Out of Ur because it has a lot of good links to some of the other stuff. Not included are this article in Newsweek and some of my political reactions to it.
My question is - "What is dying?" Certainly Evangelical political influence is on the wane. Given how ham-fisted the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and James Dobson have been at that - no real loss. It will just clear the decks for smarter people like Jay Sekulow.
The mega-church movement is likely coming to an end. To which again, I shrug my shoulders. No real loss. It will just take a substitute for genuine ministry out of the way. No longer will people be able to pretend that they are worshiping when they attend something more akin to a television taping than a church service.
Maybe, just maybe what's happening is going to be what should have happened all along. Evangelicalism is going to morph into the reform movement of the denominations it should have been from the beginning.
Frankly, I am surprised Evangelicalism has lasted this long. It's rootless. It's a part of the gospel and one portion of the church's total ministry.
The amazing thing about our faith is the resurrection. I'm betting on it. I'm just thinking what comes back will not be what people are expecting.
My question is - "What is dying?" Certainly Evangelical political influence is on the wane. Given how ham-fisted the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and James Dobson have been at that - no real loss. It will just clear the decks for smarter people like Jay Sekulow.
The mega-church movement is likely coming to an end. To which again, I shrug my shoulders. No real loss. It will just take a substitute for genuine ministry out of the way. No longer will people be able to pretend that they are worshiping when they attend something more akin to a television taping than a church service.
Maybe, just maybe what's happening is going to be what should have happened all along. Evangelicalism is going to morph into the reform movement of the denominations it should have been from the beginning.
Frankly, I am surprised Evangelicalism has lasted this long. It's rootless. It's a part of the gospel and one portion of the church's total ministry.
The amazing thing about our faith is the resurrection. I'm betting on it. I'm just thinking what comes back will not be what people are expecting.
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