Is the Evangelical Church Hopelessly Lost? – Part II

In my last post I asked the question, "Is the Evangelical Church Hopelessly Lost?," I attempted to argue that we are, indeed, lost and to explain (at least in part) how we got lost.

The critical word, I think, is “hopelessly.”  Some are already planning the funeral service for the Evangelical Church, but maybe that’s a bit premature.  I would argue that we’re not hopelessly lost but hopefully lost.  We’re still lost, but I think we’re beginning to follow the biblical bread crumbs that will lead us back home to Jesus.

From my perspective I see (and feel with a part of me that maybe can’t be categorized under one of the five senses) that there is a grassroots movement in the church.  It is definitely not being initiated by any of the major denominations (especially mine), but it is happening.  It is being led primarily by millennials (young adults), although many from older generations are glad to see it growing and want to be part of it. 

Maybe we could think of it as a series of shifts or movements within the church; kind of like the shifting tectonic plates imperceptibly moving beneath us a millimeter (or less) at a time, until finally there’s an earthquake.  I think we could talk about a lot of these shifts but I will only discuss two.

A shift from Biblianity (or Biblicism) back to Christianity

One of the fall outs of Fundamentalism is the elevation of the Bible to “god status.”  In short, the “inerrancy” fundamental claims that the entire Bible is equally authoritative. 

In a recent article entitled "Why Christians Should Support the Death Penalty," Al Mohler argues that they should.  (You may support the death penalty.  I’m not arguing that issue one way or another here.)  My point is not that Mohler argues for the death penalty but how he does it.  In the article he never mentions Jesus; not once.  He uses the Old Testament teaching about capital punishment (a great advancement in the ancient world for sure) and applies it authoritatively to today’s society.  He simply doesn’t wrestle with anything that Jesus said.

Jesus, however, audaciously claimed that his teachings outranked the Jewish Torah.  Repeatedly he said, “You have heard it said [in Torah]… but I say to you…”  May I suggest you read Matthew 5:38-48.

What I sense, particularly among young people, is a return to a more orthodox understanding of the scriptures.  They agree, I believe, with the "The Baptist Faith and Message" which says, “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.  The Bible is the written Word about the living Word.  Therefore, any interpretation of a given passage must be made in the light of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ and his teachings and redemptive work.”  (page 30 in the 1971 edition)    

A shift from Arrogance to Humility

I would like to be able to describe this shift in more diplomatic language, but I don’t think I can.

By its very nature, Fundamentalism seems to gravitate toward arrogance.  We tend to be intellectually arrogant about our theology.  We seem to be unable to entertain the idea that we might get it wrong and someone else might get it right.  We tend to be morally arrogant.  So we point out those sinners and their sin instead of acknowledging that we are all sinners.  In a word, this is called moral superiority.  In another word, it’s called judgmentalism.

But I sense a shift away from this kind of arrogance.  These days I talk to more and more Christ followers who are humble and gracious.  They have this refreshing spirit about them that is respectful of people who are different from them.  They have the wonderful ability to disagree with someone while seeing that person as the offspring of God, created in his image.  They don’t need to portray themselves as less sinful or less broken than others.  They genuinely believe that every human being is loved by God and they possess the uncanny ability to extend love to all of God’s beloved, which means everyone.   

I think a lot more “shifts” could be listed.  We’re seeing young Christians shift from consumer Christianity to contributor Christianity, from maintaining the institutional church to embracing the beautiful, comprehensive mission of the Church, from being politically hyperactive to being communally interactive; the list could go on.

The result is that our lost Evangelical Church is becoming more and more hopefully lost.  We don’t claim to know exactly how or when we will find our way back home to Jesus, but we are confident that we’re moving in the right direction.  We feel him in the air.  We smell his sweet aroma.  His beauty is beginning to shine through.  And, in my opinion, the beauty of Jesus is practically irresistible.