Sitting in service on Sunday, it occurred to me that there are really only four kinds of churches in America:
1) The Liberal Church: This is a church which has abandoned all sense of historic Orthodox Christianity except for the saying that "Christ is Love".
2) The Traditional Church: Include Mainline denominations which have not fallen into category 1 here, but also the Catholic and Orthodox tradition, which have strong historical or cultural components.
3) The Modern Church: This is the church which may be traditional in some sense of the word, but is actively seeking out the modern individual (say age groups from 20 to 40). In all likelihood, they come across as more "hip".
4) The Conservative Church: I would include non-denominationals which have orthodox understandings, such as John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, or Steven Lawson.
Of these churches, the first category - The Liberal Church - is just about useless as a means of transmission of classic Orthodox Christianity. The Traditional Church can still do this, but is often saddled with the problem of not connecting with the next generation required to sustain it.
My big concern is category 3 - The Modern Church. In some ways it has the greatest potential in that they have mastered the art of connecting with the 20-40 year olds in a way that gets them involved. My concern - one which I do not have full clarification on - is how they are doing in terms of transmitting classic Orthodox Christianity.
I can only use the sermons I currently hear as an example.
What I do hear is a minimum on the nature of sin and the need for repentance. What I do hear is a sense that we need forgiveness (but never clearly what we need to be forgiven from). What I do hear is a great deal of current social mores about how our society has failed certain groups and that while we as a church are about holiness and justice, we talk a lot more about justice than holiness. What I do hear is a great many words that the current social culture would find itself very comfortable with but very little discussion that the current social culture is challenged by.
Now, there is a lot of good thoughts in the sermons, and a great deal about the love of God and His purpose. And one of the greatest things that is being communicated is apologetics for an age where "just believing" is not enough. But what concerns me is what has always concerned me about any church which seeks to become socially relevant: at some point the church has to choose either relevance with the mainstream (in which case more often than not it becomes The Liberal Church) or keeps with the traditional orthodox faith, in which I suspect it would rapidly find itself to be in The Conservative Church with a rapidly diminishing population base.
The great days of challenge (at least for Christians in the US) are still ahead of us - social trends, frankly, are not in our favor and most (if not all) historic and orthodox Christian beliefs are either laterally or directly opposed to how culture (and in many ways, government) are trending. In situations like these (study the effects of Communism on churches after the initial societal conversion), Liberal and Modern churches are almost always wiped out (because who wants to die or be impacted adversely for a belief that is not a core belief?). Mainline churches perhaps survive due to historical context. The Conservative churches are always battered, destroyed - and then go underground and flourish.
My concern is that the Modern Church - the church currently most growth oriented and most reaching - has tied itself to the wrong platform. My concern is that it is making people feel good and relevant about themselves and God without teaching them about all the expectations of God - not just justice, but personal holiness and right and wrong as defined by the Bible.
Those things are costly. Simply believing what culture and society already teach you to believe is not costly at all.
"Wide is the gate and easy is the path to destruction" - yet we only ever want to describe that in terms of the unbelieving or the mis-believing. Scarcely do we ever actually measure ourselves against that standard.
Look for the American church as we have known it to disappear. Also, look for God to do some of His greatest work ever through those who truly base their lives on His word and understand the whole counsel of God - that His holiness is just as important as His justice and that without a forgiveness of sins, not just a general feeling being forgiven from our bad habits and bad practices, true conversion is not possible.
That is exactly why I avoided the church for so long, myself. I saw those fake Christians piling into their mega-church to be holy and pious for the service... and then giving each other the finger and road raging trying to get out of the parking lot afterward. I saw them as hypocrites. I’ve only heard about the gay churches and ones led by clergy women - and suffice it to say my experience with gays and empowered liberal females in my family left me with wanting nothing to do with them. I will never be a part of any organization where they lead or have a say in its affairs.
ReplyDeleteI dunno where my church falls in your spectrum. It seems to be that the idea is that the bible means what it says, and says what it means. There’s a lot of grey hairs but the kids are trickling in too. They understand that faith and spirituality are not hobbies. They understand the perils of modern liberalism because they are surrounded by the wreckage of it. A lot are drifting in from other churches that have lost their way.
I also see more sophisticated defence mechanisms set up in my church too. They will not say a word when you get the odd degenerate or hairy chested feminists come through hoping to stir up trouble. They are not discriminated against, but nor are they welcomed or tolerated either. They are firmly and politely ignored. They’ll be excluded from the fellowship of the church because most of us are there to get away from such people. Without a pot to stir, and no spoon to stir it with... they leave. One is tempted to feel sorry for them, but they go to great lengths to bring their misery on themselves. They need redemption and holiness most of all, but won’t do the work.
I think the message for me is to focus on my own failings and troubles; there is a plan for those that disagree with us and we are not part of it. Until I hear otherwise, I will run with that and wish everyone else the best.
The younger members of society want a "Buddy Christ." They don't want to emulate God. They want God to emulate them. They scream out "I'M SAVED!" but go on being the same self-centered, Godless people they were before.
ReplyDeleteThe modern churches tend to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they emphasize, largely leaving out the rest. The Bible needs to be presented in its entirety, or it serves no purpose at all!
On the other hand, as you said, the "traditional" churches are losing ground fast. Younger parishioners have REAL questions and want REAL answers. I'm not young, but fall into this group when it comes to this. We don't want to hear "Because the priest says so" or "Because you'll go to hell of you don't... or do..." These people leave, often falling into the Liberal "Buddy Christ" churches. The traditional church's answer to this is the same as it's always been; refill the pews with a large, undereducated population that won't ask REAL questions, and will do whatever the church says. I've grown away from my church for that very reason. In my area the Catholic churches have completely given themselves over to the Mexican population; so much so, that the mass books (missals) are titled "Unidos En Cristo," with a small subtitle below that says "United In Christ." The pulpit has become a political platform for pro-illegal immigration types. I have become a stranger in my own church; a villain because I believe that if the law applies to one, it must apply to all. Worse yet, I'm white!
I've been to church around four times in the past three years, and then only because my visiting Mom wanted to go. I was the church cantor and choir director. Now I'm an outlier, looking for a church home.
...And let's not even go into the various sex scandals racking the Catholic church!
...No, the traditional church won't survive as-is as long as it throws its own under the bus in the name of political correctness, and preaches good while practicing evil. The Liberal churches will die as well, as its preaching, tied to the latest "flavor of the month," wraps back around and contradicts itself, leaving in its wake thousands of damaged and disillusioned souls. The modern churches will only survive if they present the whole picture, which most don't do. For me, this means worship at home and in small prayer groups will have to do until this all gets sorted out... Sad, actually... America needs God now more than ever...
You have summed it up pretty well here. I agree.
ReplyDeleteGlen, either the church accepts the teachings of the Bible or they do not. If they do, then certain things follow.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, I think I can say I have not seen a liberal church that has ultimately resorted in a better Church. If one follows the mainline denominations that have liberalized, they are (overall) in decline - after all, if you can be just like the world, why go to church? Just stay home, live the way you do, and get Sundays off.
Pete, your experience (rather sadly) mirrors mine, only on the Protestant side. I think you are exactly correct in your last paragraph as well. Churches are more quick to through their own membership under the bus than they are to decry sin.
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting things - at least in the church I am now in - is how the growth of the third world churches is being held up as a model. True enough - but often that growth comes in incredibly repressive societies (e.g. China). Oddly enough, this gets too often taken as a "we can do it here too!"
My parents church is probably about 50 or so people, the vast bulk of them over 60, refugees from the ELCA. Honestly, I suspect small churches like that are the real wave of the future.
Thanks Linda. I think - I do not know that I want to be this correct.
ReplyDelete