From The New York Times-
Conservative commentators like Rupert Murdoch’s stable and Ross Douthat of The New York Times are feasting on what they perceive as the “death” of “liberal Christianity.”
They add two and two and get eight. They see decisions they don’t like — such as the Episcopal Church’s recent endorsement of a rite for blessing same-sex unions. They see declines in church membership. They pounce.
Such “liberal” decisions are destroying the church, they say, and alienating young adults they must reach in order to survive.
Never mind that surveys of young adults in America show attitudes toward sexuality that are far more liberal than those of older generations. Never mind that conservative denominations are also in decline.
Never mind — the most inconvenient truth — that mainline denominations began to decline in 1965, not because of liberal theology, but because the world around them changed and they refused to change with it.
More here-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/despite-doubters-mainline-protestant-churches-are-poised-for-success/2012/07/17/gJQAWdwjrW_story.html
1 comment:
A couple thoughts here.
For a church consultant, I'm not sure that he has his facts right or that he has a good foundation for his assertions.
He assumes that the church must change with the times. Nothing in Scripture (the Bible) tells the church to change with the times. Keeping up with the culture is not the church's calling.
Having said that, I think that, in fact, the church and churches have indeed changed with the times. Liberal theology is itself an accomodation to the intellectual challenges that came in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This theology was known as modernism. When the intellectual climate changed again to what is known as postmodernism, the church by and large went with it. Belief was relativized. Truth became subjective. One result was the downgrading of the Bible or any confessional statement as a reference point for thinking and acting. As justice became more important in society at large, the church went along. Opening the church to GLBT community became a justice issue in favor of the outcasts of society even though their lifestyle is rejected by Scripture.
Churches have accomodated themselves to culture in changing their worship to attract young people. Youth became the driving focus of the church.
As for the lack of suburban churches, I grew up in a suburban church. In my suburban community there were three congregations within walking distance of my home.
This writer misses the fact that the Episcopal Church and other mainline groups have lost congregations and members directly because the denomination in question has become open to homosexuality. Either he doesn't believe that is the reason or he is in denial.
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