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Tuesday
Mar102009

Tough Times Ahead for Evangelicals and Protestants?

This will come as no surprise to readers of this blog. Religion is losing ground in America. That's not necessarily a bad thing--especially if its false religion that is on the decline.

Especially hard-hit are mainline Protestants and independent evangelical-type churches.  No surprise there.  Some points of interest in the survey.  The number of those who profess to hold no religion doubled to 15%.  People who self-consciously identify themselves as Christians has dropped 11% in a generation.  Catholics are moving west (out of the Northeast--that just means Catholics like warmer weather), while Muslims make up only .06% of respondents.  The latter is hard to believe, especially since there are so many Muslims in and around Orange County these days. Click here: Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds - USATODAY.com

Michael Spencer (the iMonk) has offered a very interesting take on the future of evangelicalism.  Spencer believes that "the loss of their political clout may impel many Evangelicals to reconsider the wisdom of trying to create a `godly society.' That doesn't mean they'll focus solely on saving souls, but the increasing concern will be how to keep secularism out of church, not stop it altogether. The integrity of the church as a countercultural movement with a message of `empire subversion' will increasingly replace a message of cultural and political entitlement."  A very interesting assessment.  Emergents don't fare well.  Neither do those churches which built their identities on political activism. Click here: The coming evangelical collapse | csmonitor.com

One group of dissenting Anglicans--sick of the rampant theological liberalism and decay coming out of Canterbury--are considering joining Rome.  The Traditional Anglican Communion has 400,000 members, is thoroughly Anglo-Catholic in emphasis, so this is no real surprise.  But any merger between the TAC and Rome would set back talks between Rome and the rest of the Anglican community.  The Anglicanism communion is a real mess these days.  Click here: The Associated Press: Traditional Anglicans want to join Catholic Church

Reader Comments (17)

Kim: I am sure you remember my hassles with the TAC. Sadly, ++Hepworth knows not what true Anglicanism is. Neither does he consider the murders committed by the Pope's henchmen: Tyndale and the 300 killed by Bloody Mary. This is an offense. Charles
March 10, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCBinCA
The article about the evangelical collapse is possibly closer here in Australia than in America. However most evangelicals have not identified with any political party since Federation in 1901.Catholics traditionally voted Labour,protestants,and especially Anglicans and Presbyterians voted Liberal ,and both voted for the National party. However it is Catholics in Australia who make the most protest about on pro life and Social justice issues.There are megachurches-largest being 20,000 Hillsong-but there is also some skepticism about churches modelled upon any American model
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterwayne
From the CS Monitor article:

"...Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.

This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.

Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close..."

It's easy for us to shake our heads and say 'never gonna happen here,' but in some ways persecution has already begun in some subtle ways. For example, the use of ECP's (aka "morning after pills) are considered the same as abortion by most Christians, yet pharmacists have a gun held to their heads to fill prescriptions for the drug whether they believe in its use or not. Similarly, the current administration's sharp swing to the left with respect to stem cell research and pro-choice legislation will certainly have an effect on the medical community, such as action against gynecologists who refuse to perform abortions.

But I predict that the real leverage against evangelical groups will come from legislation that reduces or eliminates their non-profit tax status. This will take the wind out of the largest churches' sails right away, leaving some of the smaller congregations to fend for themselves. We may all wind up meeting in homes (secretly, perhaps) again one day.

The article goes on to ask somewhat rhetorically whether these are good or bad things and then implies that they may not be all bad since some of the evangelical churches need to go by the wayside, anyway. I do not disagree with this. Currently, there are movements among conservative Lutheran and Reformed groups to recover the post-reformation confessions. We all know who is spearheading at least one of these efforts. And this is good, because a remnant will need to carry the truth intact into the future.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGeorge
This Micheal Spencer article deserves a close reading and some critical scrutiny. I checked out his site and noticed that Rod Rosenbladt's New Reformation Press is a supporter of the internet monk. That peaked my interest even more. He has gained an audience among some of the agressive new atheist blog sites and it seems he has been listening intently to their objectives to Christianity and religion in general. They are very hostile towards the agressive rightwing, politically motivated and culture war oriented Evangelicals. What else is new right? These atheists do not seem to mind listening to Michael Spencer though- at least that is what I gathered from his blog site. I suppose I should look into that more closely though.

I want to write more about this but have to complete some other duties right now- took some notes on the paper and will comment about it later.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJohn Y
George,

How the he he heck does stem cell research, birth control availability and policy shift translate into the persecution of the church? How is yours unlike Dispies using current events to translate Revelation? Some have funny notions of the world, the flesh and the devil.

And "some" evangelical churches need to go by the wayside? I was thinking more like "all." Either evangelicalism is bankrupt and fundamentally wrong-headed or it isn't.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterZrim
Zrim -

Is being forced to do something that violates one's conscience as a Christian a good thing? I was not referring to a pharmacist dispensing birth control products, but specifically ECP's. If we all agree that life begins at conception then is being a part of the process-chain of handing out a drug that works to abort a recently fertilized egg not a violation of that precept? Or do we echo those in the recent past who simply said, "Wir haben Ordnung."

Likewise, if we agree that stem cells may be taken from aborted fetuses, is a profession that is involved in R&D through the use of these cells not also in violation of the same belief? Is this not a different scenario than someone living as a citizen of a country where abortions are legal, but simply refusing to take part in the process. In the cases listed above one is actually a part of carrying out the procedures, like it or not. Where would we draw the line?

But, yes, I agree about "all" of the evangelicals, but couldn't quite put that way since I can't quite get the original, post-reformation meaning of that word completely out of my mind.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGeorge
I think I will start calling Zrim Zrimbo- the Rambo of the confessional movement. He gets my juices flowing. Anyways, getting back to the Spencer article- I found it to have some good insights in it but some questionable conclusions. It is worth discussing further. In summary, he believes evangelicalism as we know it is close to crumbling: he states, "we will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century." He gives 7 reasons of why he thinks evangelicalism is close to its end. 1) It is seen as a polarizing force that impedes cultural progress by those not involved in evangelicalism, 2) They have failed to pass on to their young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught, 3) the 3 forms of evangelical church's will prove to be impotent- consumer driven mega church's, dying church's and new church's whose future is fragile, 4) Christian (evangelical) education has not produced a product that can withstand the secular onslaught, 5) We will soon see that the good evangelicals want to do will be viewed as bad by so many- evangelical ministries will take on a less distinctly Christian face in order to survive, 6) An inability of evangelicals to pass on to their children a vital evangelical confidence in the bible and the importance of the faith, 7) The money in the evangelical world will dry up.

He goes on in the article to predict what will be left when it crumbles. He basically makes 8 points here: 1) Evangelicalism will look more like the pragmatic, therapeutic and Church growth oriented mega-church's who have shifted from a doctrinal emphasis to an emphasis on relevance, motivation and personal success, 2) There will be a large movement of evangelicals to the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox communions, 3) A small band will work hard to rescue the movement from its demise through theological renewal. He does not believe this will result in a 2nd Reformation though, 4) The emerging church will vanish, 5) Fundamentalist evangelical church's will disappear, 6) Charismatic/Pentecostal Church's will become the majority report but he wonders and doubts that this community will be able to withstand heresy, relativism and confusion. He states they must make a priority of biblical authority, responsible leadership and a reemergence of orthodoxy, 7) He is hopeful that missionaries from Africa and Asia will come here, 8) He expects some culture wars from the evangelical right and left to continue.

In conclusion he makes the following remarks: 1) We must change the conversation from the maintenance of traditional church's to developing new and culturally appropriate ones, 2) Pentecostal and Charismatic influence may be a good thing if joined with the calling, training and mentoring of leaders. We need the influence of the movement of the Holy Spirit from Africa and Asia, 3) The landscape of megachurch vacuity will be around for a long time, 4) The Word/Faith movement will unfortunately continue, 5) The integrity of the Church as a counter cultural movement with a message of empire subversion will increasingly replace a message of cultural and political entitlement. Christianity loves a crumbling empire, 6) Expect to see a vital and growing house church movement- it is easier to maintain financially, 7) We need a new evangelicalism that learns from the past and listens more carefully to what God says about being his people in the midst of a powerful, idolotrous culture.

I am not sure where this guy is coming from. He seems to want to mix the best elements of revivalism with reformation theology. After reading some of Scott Clark's books and getting a taste of D.G. Hart I am not sure this is possible. What is wrong with Word and Sacrament Church's if they are functioning like they are supposed to be functioning. Why the necessity for a house church movement unless the government decides it is not going to allow people to attend church's or penalize them somehow for going to Church? And why should we involve ourselves in "empire subversion" if it is not a necessity? I like Luther's attitude when asked what he would do if he knew the Lord was coming back tomorrow- he simply stated "I would plant an apple tree today." In other words he would not do anything differently- he was that confident in Christ's imputed righteousness to him and that he was doing those things necessary to further God's kingdom. That is a good place to be in one's life.

Michael Spencer has some good insights into why the evangelical movement will end and some of his predictions may come about but I am not so sure about some of his conclusions.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJohn Yeazel
I just checked out issues,etc. and noticed that Michael Spencer (the internet monk) was interviewed by Todd Wilken yesterday- this guy must be causing a stir. I have to listen to the interview now.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJohn Yeazel
The interview on Issues, etc. is worth listening to. Mr. Spencer goes into what he thinks confessional Church's need to do to minister more effectively to evangelicals and others in the culture and also points out some of the weaknesses he sees in the confessional movement. He thinks Catholics and the Orthodox are more aggressively pursuing Evangelicals and he feels that many confessional Church's are not willing to shift with some changes that he feels need to be made in confessional congregations. He puts an emphasis on planting new Church's in strategically needy places in the culture. Whether he is correct or not is another question. It certainly behooves some more critical thinking .
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJohn Yeazel
George,

I don't think having to make some hard decisions about one's profession means he is being "(even subtly) persecuted." Some might call that, well, sort of whiny. Maybe the onus is actually on those who are contemplating going into certain professions that potentially involve delicate ethical issues to think twice instead of demanding the world make life easier for them?

What's next, religious judges whining "persecution" about having to grant no-fault divorces? It's ironic to me how conservative Christians make a lot of hay about a culture of victims, then turn around and claim "persecution" when life simply gets hard and complicated. I wonder what primitive believers made into human candles for Nero's garden would think.
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterZrim
I can't explain it as any great virtue, but I have always been slow to pick up on new trends. My wife and I were the last on our block to get a microwave oven. This feature of my life has actually served me pretty well in my ministry as a youth pastor and now senior pastor. I just rarely go for the newest product to be sent up the pop charts. I took heat from people for not jumping on Promise Keepers, Jabez, Wild at Heart, and WWJD. I really wish my fellow pastors and our people would simply get into the Word, preach that and sing that, and love each other and our neighbors. My church is behind on every hip trend out there, and while we must not become prideful about that, we are finding that like an old pair of jeans, some of the things we do are coming back in style. I'm not even with it enough to know that the evangelical world is crumbling. I'm just going to keep preaching Jesus, and like old Keith Green sang years ago, "He'll take care of the rest."
DSY
March 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterDSY
In reading the thread of comments by Zrim and George, I think Zrim is right. The stem cell and morning after pill issues are not theological but political and what is causing many of us a viceral sense of unfairness is our political perceptions as Americans. Christinity is not being persecuted thereby. We instinctively feel that laws requiring dispensing of pills or other actions our consciences may reject violate the First Amendment freedom of religion clause if imposed by the gov't or the various state and federal statutes protecting religious expression if imposed by private employers. However this is not a Kingdom of God issue, but a this world political one.

Having said that, the fact that there is so little political push back on stem cell research and other such issues is yet more proof as to just how sinful and depraved humanity is, even in "enlightened" cultures such as ours. Praise God that he saves us in spite of our sin and not based on our own "righteousness".

Now on Zrim's stated desire that "all" "evangelical" churches would disappear earlier in this thread, I will simply chalk that up to over the top hyperbole and not take the bait.
March 12, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterreg
Well, I'm probably wrong as usual, but it seems like stem cell research, abortion, etc is closer to a judgment on a nation than to persecution of the church. The nation becomes what it has revered.
March 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterChris Sherman
Mr. Spenser's article's making quite a splash. I even saw a reference to it in a libertarian/ancap email list I follow.

Issues, etc. interviewed him yesterday or the day before.
March 12, 2009 | Unregistered Commenter"lee n. field"
I forwarded the Spencer piece to my Pastor with a note stating that had the author wrote this 20 years ago, he'd be right on.

The White Horse Inn has been talking about the breaking apart of "evangelicalism" for several years. Doomsday prophets have been predicting Hitler like persecution of the Church in America for years. There is nothing new here. Except, in 2004 a large crowd of ne'er do wells including Jim Wallis and Rob Bell decided that "evangelicals" tipped the scales in favor of Bush and that henceforth it must be declared far and wide that not all "evangelicals" are conservative. The sizzle to this lame story is that not all "evangelicals" are conservative. BTW, what's an "evangelical" in 2009?
March 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterPaul
Believe it or not I think that conservative protestants will make a come back. It will take time. Orange County Ca is about 30 percent foreign born, so the non-christian religious groups make about around 5 to 6 percent compared to 2 percent or less in other parts of the US. Also, OC has a lot of Catholics because of hispanics and some of the asian population. Rick, Chuck, and Robert actually have less influence than they would in the 1970's since the non-hispanic white populaton is smaller in S0-Ca than then. Rick church would have about 40,000 today if the demographics in OC where like they were in the 1970's mainly non-hispanic whites with a small foreign born population. Rick Warren's influence in nation and international is like BIll Hybels he does church growth workshops and hosted the presidential civil forum. Anyway, your county is going to be less white in the future, so any pastor has to approach things different whether they are catholic or protestant. The same applies to the rest of the US since its predicted to 2050, hispancis will make up at least 29 percent of the US population and asians 9 percent. Orange County is already around 34 percent and 16 percent.
August 9, 2009 | Unregistered Commentercynthia curran
Believe it or not I think that conservative protestants will make a come back. It will take time. Orange County Ca is about 30 percent foreign born, so the non-christian religious groups make about around 5 to 6 percent compared to 2 percent or less in other parts of the US. Also, OC has a lot of Catholics because of hispanics and some of the asian population. Rick, Chuck, and Robert actually have less influence than they would in the 1970's since the non-hispanic white populaton is smaller in S0-Ca than then. Rick church would have about 40,000 today if the demographics in OC where like they were in the 1970's mainly non-hispanic whites with a small foreign born population. Rick Warren's influence in nation and international is like BIll Hybels he does church growth workshops and hosted the presidential civil forum. Anyway, your county is going to be less white in the future, so any pastor has to approach things different whether they are catholic or protestant. The same applies to the rest of the US since its predicted to 2050, hispancis will make up at least 29 percent of the US population and asians 9 percent. Orange County is already around 34 percent and 16 percent.
August 9, 2009 | Unregistered Commentercynthia curran

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