The Real Reason Christian Denominations are Afraid of Tomorrow
A Call for a New Reformation, Part 2
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A while back, Evangelical leaders had an idea. What if they replaced the organ with a praise band?
While the older generations loved their organ music, the younger generations were more interested in rock and roll. If that's what would to attract young people, that’s what they would leverage.
The goal was to get young folks in the door so pastors could feed them the same Christian message they had been preaching since the emergence of evangelicalism with the Second Great Awakening:
You are a sinner
You deserve hell
Jesus saves
Accept Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior so you can go to heaven and not end up suffering eternal torment in the indescribably torturous fires of Hell like all the non-Christians around you
And, it worked!
Not only did Evangelical churches avoid the decline experienced by mainline churches, they actually grew in many cases. Feeling validated, conservative Evangelicals became bullish with their theology and community norms.
For example, back when I was in seminary around the turn of the millennium, many conservative Evangelicals argued that the reason their churches were not in decline was specifically because of their strong emphasis on Christian identity and behavior. In other words, they were uncompromising with their Evangelical beliefs and adamant about standing up for what they saw as biblical values.
At the time, my response was simple. I said, “Their time is coming, and when it hits it will be far worse for them than it ever was for the mainline churches”.
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Fast forward to today
If you are a Christian and you are not familiar with the Christian spiritual deconstruction movement, then you have not been paying attention.
Basically, during the deconstruction phase, one turns a critical eye to their long-held beliefs, usually for the first time. They then use their newfound capacity for critical thinking to unravel their old belief system. This process is often related to the demythologizing stage of faith development.
When evangelicals in particular enter into spiritual deconstruction, they typically find it to be exceptionally traumatic. Because of their black-and-white cultural worldview, their faith tends to be as rigid as an oak tree. And when the tempest of deconstruction hits, it cracks and explodes.
Suddenly, the scales fall off their eyes and they can see their religion with new sight. They recognize the extent to which they have been victims of spiritual and emotional abuse. Furthermore, they see that the abuse and trauma they experienced were the direct results of the theology their church preached.
Unfortunately for the Evangelical churches, such experiences are no longer weathered in isolation. Social media has empowered these abuse victims to connect with one another and find the strength they need to tell their stories. And, many of them are (justifiably) angry.
They are telling their stories in public. They are shining a light in the darkness of Evangelical culture. They are exposing the institutionalized systems of shame and abuse for what they are.
Worse yet for the Evangelical denominations, they are leading the march of liberation as they testify to those still stuck in the pews and let them know that it’s okay to embrace their doubts. By doing so, they encourage those who are still victims to leave the abusive systems and experience freedom.
For the Evangelical churches, now there is hell to pay.
Indeed, it seems to have come to pass that the decline of Evangelical church membership is indeed proving to be far more dramatic and traumatic for Evangelical denominations and congregations than it ever was for the Christian mainline.
Why didn’t the praise bands ultimately work?
So, yes, swapping out the organs for praise bands did indeed work…for a while…until it didn't. And there’s a reason why.
You see, the shift from modernity to postmodernity isn't a normal, run-of-the-mill cultural change. It is what is known as a “paradigm shift”. When a paradigm shifts, the entire worldview—the entire framework for the meaning-making process itself—becomes something completely different.
A paradigm shift generally results from technological advancements and new insights into our world. For example, the shift from the medieval to the modern paradigm included the development of a scientific and humanistic worldview. Once science and humanism came on the scene, everything changed, and there was no going back.
I believe there are two key parts to a paradigm shift. First, there is a dramatic change in the quality of the character of the emerging culture (in other words it's ideology or worldview). And second, that change leads to another change in the quality of the connections within the emerging culture (in other words it's organizational principles and social policies).
For the most part, the paradigm shift itself is the change in the quality of the character of the culture. That's what Christian denominations don't seem to get.
Evangelicals addressed the paradigm shift by changing the quality of their connection (swapping out organs for praise bands) while keeping the quality of the character of their religion (the theology) the same.
In a similar way, we see a move with mainline denominations to tap into online platforms (such as streaming online worship services and creating group chats) while keeping the quality of the character of their religion (the theology) the same.
I don't know how many times I've heard the call for a “paradigm shift” within Christian circles over the years. But, what we see overall is that Christian organizations do not want to change their theologies while trying to engage in a paradigm shift.
Dear christians, here's the newsflash that needs to be heard…
If you want your religion to engage in a paradigm shift, you actually have to shift paradigms. And that means you must radically change the quality of the character of your religion, which is its theology.
If all you want to do is change how you engage as a religion, whether that is hiring praise bands or hopping online, all you're doing is moving the chairs around on the Titanic.
The real fear exposed
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to [Jesus] and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
—Mark 10:35-38
What is the significance of the paradigm shift for Christianity in America today? It means the future is a choice, and Christians are responsible for the outcome that results from their choice.
If we know what needs to happen to engage the required paradigm shift and still refuse to do it, then we cannot blame anyone but ourselves for what happens.
I believe it's ultimately going to come down to this question: How important is the Gospel to us?
Is it important enough for us to…
Let go of outdated theologies and structures and embrace new ones?
Recognize the extent to which we have been complicit in marginalization, abuse, and oppression; accept responsibility for it; and repent?
Die to self and rise in Christ by incarnating Divine Love in a postmodern context?
You don’t have to think too deeply about that brief list to quickly realize the key truth that the church fears right now…
There can be no Resurrection without crucifixion.
Today, we face the question that James and John faced: Can we drink of the cup from which Jesus drank and be baptized with the baptism with which he was baptized?
Are the Christian traditions that enjoy a form birthed by modernity willing to follow Christ to the cross, lay down who they are, and be born anew?
Well, if you're looking for a road map the navigate the paradigm shift from a modern Christianity to a postmodern one, tune in next week for the first big step.
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
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Credits
Thanks to Leonardo AI for the cover art