May 15, 2014
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Two Cheers for Nominal Christians
We evangelicals regularly fuss over how we're doing. So when the latest Pew Research Center study
says we're holding our own while Catholics and mainline Protestants
continue to decline precipitously, we're tempted to gloat. And to
rationalize any losses. One of the fastest-growing religious groups are
those who have forsaken formal religious ties. Some commentators call
them "nominal Christians," people who attended church because it was the
culturally accepted thing to do in their community. We live in a world
that puts little to no social pressure to attend church. And many
evangelicals say, "Good. Now we're just dealing with people in church
who are committed."
I don't know. When I served as a pastor, I suspected that a certain
number of people in my congregation were nominal. And I was happy for
them to attend, even if they weren't particularly committed to living
their faith out the other six days of the week. At least they were
experiencing Christian fellowship and worship, and hearing the Word of
God read and preached every week. For all its problems, there may be
something to be said for cultural Christianity.
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Our Maelstrom Moment
This is one of those articles
that touches on a number of issues and trends today, such as reluctant
duty of a faithful parishioner, philosophical defense of traditional
marriage, outrageous misrepresentation by the press, and the centrality
of prayer for the church and society. Enjoy.
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Laughing with Decline
A few scholars have pointed out that evangelicals habitually complain
about how culture is in decline, and how evangelicals are the object of
derision and abuse by secular culture. There is some truth in this: it's
one of our sociological markers, that is, what in part identifies us as
evangelicals. Matthew Lee Anderson at Mere Orthodoxy argues in this week's long read that while we acknowledge culture's decline, it does not mean we have to be grumpy about it.
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Christ Died for Both Criminals
The past Sunday was a saint's day, for me anyway—Karl Barth's birthday! I
no longer have a theological crush on the great man, but I still learn a
lot from him. And when he gets going on the theme of grace, it's quite a
ride. Note excerpts from his sermon on the two thieves on the cross,
one on Jesus' left and one on his right. We usually turn this passage
into a moral lesson—be like the thief who repented! But Barth does
something more interesting with the passage.
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Grace and peace,
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