A New Christian Convergence

Last updated on: October 2, 2012 at 5:07 pm by Patheos Daily Reflections

A New Christian Convergence 2012-10-02T17:07:14-04:00 Patheos Daily Reflections

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Obviously, in light of the title of my most recent book (A New Kind of Christianity), the future of Christianity has been on my mind. When one talks about the future, one tends to think more of progressive or emergent forms of Christianity, since more conservative forms often will, by their conservative nature, try to ensure that the future will be as similar to the past as possible. That, of course, is impossible, since the very act of resisting change changes the resister.

My general hunch is that in the short run, the most conservative streams of Christianity — in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox settings alike — will constrict, tighten up, batten the hatches, raise the boundary fences, demand greater doctrinal, political, and behavioral conformity, and monitor boundaries with increased vigilance. Doing so will increase commitment (and anxiety) among the “true believers,” but it will also drive away their younger, more educated, and less isolated members.

Read More from: The Future of Mainline Protestantism

Where will they go? Many, I fear, will drift into nominal faith and become tacit devotees of secular consumerism. Others, I hope, will be welcomed into a new emerging coalition, and that’s where my hope lies.

That new coalition, I believe, will emerge from four main sources:

Progressive Evangelicals who are squeezed out of constricting evangelical settings.
Progressive Roman Catholics (and Eastern Orthodox) who are squeezed out of their constricting settings.
Missional mainliners who are rediscovering their Christian faith more as a missional spiritual movement, and less as a revered and favored religious institution.
Social justice-oriented Pentecostals and Evangelicals— from the minority churches in the West and from the majority churches of the global South, especially the second- and third-generation leaders who have the benefits of higher education.

Where and how will this coalition happen? It’s already happening through a variety of sources, as existing organizations and emerging networks discover one another, realize they have independently reached common conclusions, and begin developing both personal relationships and concrete plans for missional collaboration — especially on behalf of the poor, peace, and the planet.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 29, 2017

When Patriarchy Is the Problem (Not the Solution)

Next Post

June 13, 2011 Not Conservative, Not Liberal: Progressive

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Faith and Climate Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 September 2017 July 2017 October 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 May 2015 April 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 November 2012 October 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 June 2011 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said: "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jude Paul Peter James