The End of Evangelicalism? ~ Praxis Habitus - On Race Religion & Culture

Friday, January 30, 2009

The End of Evangelicalism?

Quick post - When I read this small piece from David Sessions this morning, I felt like I was walking into the middle of a conversation. And I stayed because it's an interesting conversation, you know what I mean?

David Sessions is a writer in New York who wrote an extended comment on the fate of evangelicalism in the near future. It comes on the heels of near-apocalyptic comments from Michael Spencer. Spencer wrote,

I believe that we are on the verge- within 10 years- of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity; a collapse that will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and that will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.

Whew - strong words. And there's even more. This guy's got a lot on his mind.

In turn, David Sessions measured response is worth reading. If nothing else, he knows evangelicalism is not going to change radically in such a short time, there are more complicated developments than most people want to consider, and the variation within evangelicalism continues to be colored by its own history.


1 comment:

Shawn said...

Interesting articles/speculation.

As a Christian, does this hinder or encourage deeper connection with God? I agree with Spencer that some of the evangelical biases towards politics and one issue voters have weakened the resources and impact of the church. Perhaps the recession of such a movement will encourage new expressions of faith, the Bible, and Jesus. These are the values that are most central for the church.

I'm hopeful for the growth of Christians in the "ancient" and fundamental expressions of Christian spirituality. Would you call this an "Ancient-Future" Church?