4 Good Articles on the Future of Denominations
It seems like the relative demise of denominations is in the air. Several significant blog posts and articles have been published recently that move forward the argument I made a few weeks ago that denominations may be on the way out, though in somewhat different directions.
Before engaging those, though, I want to clarify one thing: I’m not in any sense anti-denominational. That is, I still think denominations do a lot of great work, particularly when it comes to organizing both the needs and strengths of their thousands of congregations. Which means that when it comes to everything from training leaders for the church to organizing massive relief projects, denominations can and do often play a salutary role.
So it’s not that I’m against denominations at all. Rather, it’s that I don’t get all that worked up by their apparent decline. Rather, I think the most faithful response to denominational decline is shared mission, giving up some of our denominational structures and bureaucracies in order to join our resources to any and all who want to share in the work of caring for God’s people and world and sharing God’s good news.
With that in mind, here are four relatively brief articles that are well worth your time.
First, Keith Anderson compares our recent struggles to the situation of Harry Potter after the death of their beloved teacher, Albus Dumbledore. Frankly, I would have read and shared this just because of my love for all things from the world of Harry Potter, but Keith’s very helpful point is that, like the young wizards of J.K. Rowling’s story, we also need to step up and offer leadership and vision in the wake of the passing of our denominational elder wizards.
Second, NY Times columnist Ross Douthat takes aim at liberal churches in particular in an op-ed piece from last Sunday. He charges that while liberal churches have been working so hard to save the earth and welcome the disenfranchised they’ve all but forgotten what they believe and lost the heart of their constituency. His is not a new argument, but he makes it with vigor. Missing, I think, is any attention to larger cultural forces at work that in the last decade are also affecting more conservative congregations as well.
In response to Douthat, Diane Butler Bass, author of the recent and recommended Christianity After Religion
Fourth and finally, Christian Piatt puts the larger argument about denominations into interesting perspective by asking not whether Christian churches today should survive, but whether they should survive as they are today and wonders with us about what a future church might look like.
So consider this your weekend reading, just in case the heat is keeping you indoors or you want something to read while resting in the hammock. Have a great weekend.
Who and what are you referring to when you claim that they are going “God’s work” in the world?
Are sinners, who are by self-definition and thus by always dramatized action, entirely Godless, capable of doing “god’s work”.
If you begin with the presumption of being a sinner, and therefore entirely Godless, everything that you say and do will inevitably be an extension of your Godlessness.
By contrast Right Life ony begins when you or anyone has transcended your sinful (Godless) life. And not a moment before. Of course believing in “Jesus” has nothing whatsoever to do with that. Indeed it actively prevents such a radical turn-about or conversion from happening.
Meanwhile of course there are now well over 35,000 different and different Christian denominations, sects and sub-sects all competing for market share in the whats-in-it-for-me market place of consumerist religion.
Does any of that have anything whatsoever to do with Truth and Realty?
Meanwhile of course Jesus was never ever in any sense a Christian, nor did he found the power-and-control-seeking religion about him – namely Christian-ISM.
Plus two thirds of the worlds human population, and none of the living-feeling-breathing non-humans are Christians – thank “God” for that that.
I think that one of the major reasons for denominational decline is the ignorance of the congregations. Denominations aren’t just financial organizations. They are organizations that have beliefs that differentiate them from each other. I would bet that the average denotation congregation member count tell you what the distinctive beliefs of their own denomination are, much less those of the other ones. They couldn’t tell you the difference between a Lutheran and Presbyterian.
So the question “should there be denominations?” is interesting. Well, I think that we should be more knowledgeable about what we believe. If that sets us apart from others, well, then that is what we should do.