Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Class 2 Reflection Topic
Considering the reading from the last class, what do you think about the "possibility of a new Evangelical movement in the U.S.?" Do you think there is such a movement? If so, is it Evangelical after all? Finally, if you think there is such a movement afoot, how do you imagine they might organize themselves to create change? (300-500 words)
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It seems obvious that large portions of the Christian church are changing. Examples range from Rob Bell to McLaren to Shane Claiborne. It’s not only that these people are speaking, but also that large amounts of young Christians are listening (even if, in my opinion, some don’t understand what they’re hearing). I’m not sure “movement” is the right word for what’s happening, at least so far. I think maybe “attitude shift” is more appropriate. Right now it seems that the broadest unifying characteristic of these groups is their distaste for the classic evangelical attitude of worrying about personal (especially sexually related) “sin” as opposed to social/corporate/systemic sin.
ReplyDeleteThe movement is currently (among most adherents) still thought of as theologically conservative or “evangelical.” My guess is that it will remain so, possibly for decades, in the minds of most of the participants. However, I do think the “leaders” could reasonably be accused of being disingenuous insofar as much of the language being used has undertones of theological liberalism, subjectivism, humanism and even atheism. While I personally believe these theological undertones are a good thing and a step in the right direction, it does seem that more conservative critics are correct in their assessment that the “emergent” church is a step away from classic Christianity, rather than simply a new focus within it.
Perhaps it could be argued that the true movement is happening among the participating church leaders. If that is the case, then the movement’s goal could be seen as trying to pull the Christian church in a more humanistic direction and away from outdated “moral” precepts and discredited theological doctrine. If this is the case, the movement is working beautifully. If what we mean by “the movement” is the laity, then change is yet to come. If the focus is the leaders, however, change (at least in terms of mindset and worldview) is happening now.
I find it sort of interesting that we think of it as a new movement, if it's even a movement at all. It seems like there have always been people who just want to help others; just like there have always been, and always will be ill-willed people in the world, there are always those on the opposite end of the spectrum. What is the difference between somebody who works with charity or non-profit organizations and a member of this (possible) “new Evangelical movement”? It's hard to determine, from my point of view, if the only missing element is belief in God. In other words, while I understand that many people seem to be reshaping how they believe (which is probably something of a revelation), there are already a lot of secular-minded people that already adhere to that same kind of lifestyle. Could it be that instead of an entirely new movement, more people are following those kinds of examples?
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I do really hope that there is a shift in the general thought in that it moves more toward this sort of social point of view; as we discussed in class, where Christians are more focused on bringing Jesus down to earth now in our actions, rather than on the eternal afterlife. I have actually come into contact with people who think that they can act however they want to, and they will still go to heaven because they have been saved/baptized. And this just isn't a view that I can agree with. To me, it has to be what we do now that counts; it's imperative that we are motivated in this life to do well by others.
I'm still not sure I would consider this a “movement”, nor am I sure how such a wide range of people, with so many different backgrounds and values, could be brought together and organized in any meaningful way. But if this is indeed a movement, then I would say that it already has some capable leaders (Claiborne, McLaren), who have put in plenty of the necessary thought, time, and effort that it takes to become an effective leader (and thus, a viable organizer).
Starting off I would like to point out that I am not even too sure about what guidelines set the evangelical church separate from the other denominations. I was never taught about what dichotomizes Methodists from orthodox, besides simply the meaning of the words. Reading this article helped slightly in commencing a little understanding over the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteBut to begin answering your questions, I do believe that there might be a “movement” starting to gather. Although I have to agree with Ashley in the fact that I doubt it should be called a “new movement.” From what I acquired, the Evangelicals have been the buffer between the fundamentalists and the liberal churches, so it roughly I would consider them the “centrist religion” of sorts. Which in terms of politics the “centrists” are those in which cover a greater margin. Therefore, with the high concentration of “Christians” or “followers of Jesus” most of them are to be expected to follow some sort of Evangelical faith.
But what I was trying to get at here is that it is obvious that something either slightly or greatly is going to change within the United States society. Call it just an intuition of sorts, but I just feel like something is about to happen. It seems that society as a whole, or at least urbanized societies seem to be getting more accepting and less fundamental morally sound. What I mean about fundamental morally sound is that, pre-marital sex is completely ok for most people now, cursing is something that most people do not really take in high regards, and simply caring for one another or empathy rates seem to have decreased. Simply put the morals in which are typically deemed as “fundamental” have loosened completely. Which typically denotes that there should be some sort of major change occurring.
I don’t think it would be organized. If anything I would believe that it would just be a societal change as a whole. There wouldn’t be one group to dictate a “revolution of evangelicalism.” It would just be a gradual acceptance over the population of churches.
As the article stated, Evangelical Christians make up a considerable part of the population of the United States. They are not a completely overwhelming majority. But they are enough of a majority to enact change, and elicit dialogue about issues deemed important to the followers of this faith. As far as a “New Evangelical Movement” is concerned, I would have to say that it makes sense for it to be coming… but what is really happening may be something different. It makes sense for the children of these older Evangelical worshippers to pick up their parents’ torch and combine that with their altered sense of the country, our values, and the world as a whole. However, when I look around me and examine my friends and colleagues and our experiences, I see something slightly different afoot. I was eating dinner with my roommate tonight when she noticed my book for this class on the table and asked me about the premise. We started talking about religion, something we honestly had not discussed before, and I noticed that the change I was feeling in regard to organized religion was more wide-spread than I had imagined. She told me that she had started feeling uncomfortable with church this summer, feeling a disconnect between the sermons and her life. It is not personal, she said. I think that this “New Movement” that many of us feel coming in America has more to do with a personal quest for spirituality and change within our society’s youth population than any organized religion… especially any “Evangelical” religion, which does not sit well with people my age. We are not looking for an outlined set of beliefs that we can stamp on our foreheads and then proceed to share with everyone we meet. We are looking for something else, a faith that is more personal and hears our calls for change. A faith that does not strictly outline what to do and not to do here on Earth, but rather how to make the most of our time and make a difference. Like our reading for this week suggests, the youth is need of a “religion” that recognizes that “everything must change” and unites us on our journey in hopes of doing just that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as how a movement like this would be organized, well, I do not think that any of us could say. It is a work in progress. And that answer, along with exactly what to call this new spiritual awakening, are yet to be found.
It is evident that something is happening within American Christianity. There is some sort of shifting and changing, but what to call this shift is beyond me. The notion that this is some sort of new Evangelical movement does create interesting questions about the next generation of Evangelicals, but I'm not sure that this is strictly an Evangelical party.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is no doubt that a new generation of Evangelicals are making their mark on modern day Christianity, the idea that many of the shifts in American Christianity are tied to a sort of Evangelical movement across the board isn't convincing. This is not impossible, but such a widespread movement of this nature just seems very unlikely.
On the other hand, it might just be the case that all the frustrations, opinions, actions, and beliefs of many Christians are just the ongoing evolution of the Christian faith. It may not be that an Evangelical movement is on the rise; instead the evidence of shifting within the faith may be something new all together.
It is no secret that Christianity has evolved over it’s close to two thousand year history. Norms, laws, wars, advancements in technology, nature, churches, and much more, has aided the constant shifting and changing of the Christian faith. Christendom has always been evolving, and has only ever seemed static or stagnant. The faith has had to evolve to survive from generation to generation, and it will continue to evolve. The new movements in American Christianity are indeed movements or shifts in a new direction, but from instance to instance I am not convinced that there is any sort of collective shift in any one direction to say that all of this is a “ _____ movement.”
Could this be a new Evangelical movement? It’s not impossible, but whatever we classify it to be it seems to be the case that those involved with this movement are hesitant to claim a label while searching for a new identity.