Our current period of flux, decline, and instability of Christian institutions may be the exact kind of spiritual soil needed to birth powerful movements of the Spirit. You don’t have to be a church historian to notice that many of Christianity’s greatest movements were birthed during times of cultural conflict, societal instability and/or spiritual decline.
For example, the early Church’s explosive growth, the rise of the Franciscans and Dominicans in the 13th century (see how I humble I am listing the Franciscans first…), the Great Awakenings in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the growth of Christianity in the majority world in the last century (Isn’t it great you get to say, “I was born in the last century”?! Ok. Ok. Touchy subject. Let’s move on).
We should be praying for and on the lookout for new movements of the Spirit. This is hopeful news. For sure, like in times past, there will be tensions between the old movements and the new movements. There is already a need for discernment in sorting out robust, fruitful, and faithful expressions of Christian life and community and those that are less so.
Besides the good news of new powerful movements of the Spirit, there is also the good news of being forced back to Christian basics. When popular culture and Christianity merge, the result has often been a weakening of the zeal and discipleship of the Church. This means it has been possible for many people to go to church without really becoming disciples, mature Christians.
But the good news is that as Christian institutions become more sidelined from mainstream culture, the more individual Christians will have to seriously embrace their faith. If most cultural forces are encouraging people NOT to be active in the faith, then to be active in the faith will require more commitment to basic Christian beliefs and practices by the average church goer.
But wait, there’s more! (Call now and…oh never mind) This change will mean churches, if they hope to survive, will have to get out of their doors to connect with their communities. It will also mean some new structures for churches, seminaries and denominations. What other good news is there to our situation in the West? Are you seeing any of this yet, locally or globally?
I was glad to see in your second post an acknowledgment that secularism undermines Christianity. Christians care about social issues which makes them fellow travelers with secular humanists, but this can be dangerous. Antichristian sentiments abound, some virulent. We must be on guard because otherwise we get sucked in. In a society that increasingly sees Christian faith as not PC, some degree of separation may be necessary, or at least avoidance.
ReplyDeleteBrother Jim, thank you for your comment. As you're aware, one of the challenges for Christians in every age, has been to sort out their relationship with the prevailing culture. Among Christian Churches and traditions, there are various views about this, but certainly, if we cannot maintain our own identity then what we have to offer to the wider culture diminishes. Yet, if we emphasize separation to much we risk failing to love our neighbor. "The Benedict Option" book and movement has been suggesting we're entering a period where such a separation may be more necessary. I think there is much insight from that conversation, but not surprisingly, I believe we need something more like a "Dominican" option. Or to be fair, probably several options! ("Benedictine" "Dominican" etc.)
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