The impending death of evangelical Christianity?

The survey also found that "born-again" or "evangelical" Christianity is on the rise, while the percentage who belong to "mainline" congregations such as the Episcopal or Lutheran churches has fallen.

One in three Americans consider themselves evangelical, and the number of people associated with mega-churches has skyrocketed from less than 200,000 in 1990 to more than 8 million in the latest survey. Video Watch CNN report on new study

Just look at the anti-Christian sentiment as evidenced by the Proposition 8 backlash in California

Any group who wants to determine how someone not affiliated with that group should live it's life and have the laws of the land reflect those thoughts should be stopped at all cost.

I think the greatest reason that Evangelical Christianity will atrophy is that it fails to adapt be a part of the progression of mankind these days.

Excuse me? anti-christian? Since when did this become a vote about religion? Its not gays versus christians, its a political vote on whether or not homosexuals should be given equal human rights. Last time I checked they were human. Religion has no place in politics, and when a political movement is started that opposes something the church supports, its not because you're a persecuted christian. Its because we disagree with your political views.

Nonsense. Self-righteous, fundamentalism will never go out of style.

The Tactics of Failure: Why The Culture War Makes Sense To Spiritually Empty Evangelicals

August 4th, 2006 by iMonk

Ann Out Of Place

This afternoon I listened to Ann Coulter being interviewed on TBN. Not CNN. TBN. The Paul Crouch/Jan Crouch fashion show and soap opera that you can’t look away from. Yes, that TBN. The one with Creflo, Joel, General Joyce, Kenneth and Gloria, Kim, Matt and hundreds of very, very uncool people with shocking attractions to hair-styles from other planets.

There sat Ann Coulter, blonde babe darling of the hardcore far right, loathed and hated enemy of all things liberal, author of the new hit Godless, a book I haven’t read, but whose reviews tell me is an assault on the left as the “anti-God” side in American politics. There sat Ann on the same couch as hundreds of Pentecostal preachers and well-dress Apostles to America’s women, talking to Paul Crouch, Jr...

.....Ann spoke contemptuously of liberals during her little interview. She said, with all sincerity, that part of her prayers were prayers for liberals and thanking God that she wasn’t one. An uncomfortable Paul Crouch, Jr. seemed to immediately recall that somewhere it says that “I thank you, Father, that I am not a liberal,” isn’t a good prayer. “We’re all just sinners saved by grace,” he said. Whatever. Eye roll.

What is Ann doing on Christian television? Is she there as an example of TBN’s Charismatic style of Christianity? Is she giving her testimony? ***ahem** Or is she there as an example, a voice, to evangelicals of what it’s now all about: the culture war against those hated liberals?


The War All Around You

Everywhere one looks, evangelicals are becoming the religion of the culture war. Liberals vs evangelicals almost defines America these days, and evangelicals don’t mind at all. The more intense it gets, the more we seem to know our place.

Increasingly, major evangelical ministries are becoming more interested in the culture war than any other topic. Take Baptist Press, the former press outlet for the Southern Baptist Convention. These days, fully half of the articles and columns coming from Baptist Press are culture war related, particularly dealing with abortion, homosexuality, feminism, stem cell research, support of the War in Iraq, displays of the Ten Commandments and politics in general. The SBC itself is, on some days, fortunate to get 1 or 2 articles on its own press service..........



...................My Conclusion

I am suggesting, therefore, that the increasing interest in the culture war among evangelicals is not an example of a reinvigorated evangelicalism remaking its culture. Instead, I believe the intense focus by evangelicals on political and cultural issues is evidence of a spiritually empty and unformed evangelicalism being led by short-sighted leaders toward a mistaken version of the Kingdom of God on earth.

I agree.......it became a crusade against Christians, Catholics and Mormons when opponents of Proposition 8 decided to forego lawful protest against the measure and instead took up a campaign of vandalism and terrorization of churches

Diest TKO wrote:

I think the greatest reason that Evangelical Christianity will atrophy is that it fails to adapt be a part of the progression of mankind these days.

But a true Christian shouldn't be concerned about the "progression of mankind" nor adaption, he/she should have their focus elsewhere. If that results in atrophy of earthly evangelical Christianity, than that is not loss either.

If what you say is accurate about being a true Christian, then "true Christians" will be left behind as other parts of society continue to move forward. Hell, even the Amish drive cars now.

I would argue against your argument that "the demise of evangelical Christianity as the mother of the rampant Christian theocratic drive for political control in the US is a good thing." This is really a "whose ox was gored argument". In my opinion, advocacy for a society or Government run by rules that mesh well with your own personal opinions and beliefs is a good thing and should never be precluded by any other part of a democratic society. This principle holds whether your personal opinions and beliefs fall in the secular vein or Christian.

JPB wrote:

Any group who wants to determine how someone not affiliated with that group should live it's life and have the laws of the land reflect those thoughts should be stopped at all cost.

This quote reflects where I think Christianity has often gone wrong. I think my primary concern is with the phrase "wants to determine". I'll use my own kids as an example...I am well within my bounds to be concerned how my daughter lives...I believe she shouldn't sleep with another before marriage, she shouldn't sleep with other women, she shouldn't abort babies and should go to church, etc. As you mentioned, this is what I think is best for her. For the exact same reason (because it is what I think best for them) I should be concerned for non-relatives, even strangers...even though I will have less influence on those folks. This is no different than others who abide by a different set of moral rules e.g. that one can sleep with whomever one wants or that abortion is a woman's inherent right. If one really believes that some thing or some practice is harmful to another, it would be disingenuous at best and hypocritical at least to allow another to proceed down that harmful path.

I agree.......it became a crusade against Christians, Catholics and Mormons when opponents of Proposition 8 decided to forego lawful protest against the measure and instead took up a campaign of vandalism and terrorization of churches.

Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and with political conservatism. This will prove to be a very costly mistake.

Ah, but your choice of secular vs Christian is precisely the point. I assume then that you have no trouble with laws dictating no vehicular transportation during the sabbath, or laws requiring all citizens to pray five times each day while facing Mecca? It isn't secular vs Christian. It's secular vs theocratic, independent of the theocracy.

I fully understand the desire to proselytize one's faith. If I had a sure-fire cure for all cancers and no one would listen to me then I would be frustrated indeed. BUT, should my government be allowed to FORCE it's citizens to partake of my cure? I think not. Should my government be allowed to FORCE it's citizens to follow the dictates of one religion's moral codes when those moral codes are based on opinion and theology? I think not.