Evangelicalism in America Is Doing Just Fine

July 22, 2015 by Steven Jo

Continued from Page 1

For example, due to some "non-severable" ties to the culture and lifestyles of their home country, non-whites tend to be more traditional, religiously-oriented, and corporate-minded, all helpful dispositions for the preservation of the church. I strongly believe this allows them to understand, and therefore teach and practice, many aspects of the gospel better than (gasp!) white Americans, e.g., kingdom community, honor and shame, the radical message of equality, reconciliation, etc. Let's remember that the stories of the Bible do not take place on Western streets with characters named Smith, Johnson, and Anderson. The more we are less-American, the better we are in understanding Jesus' message.

America can almost always be divided into two. Republican and Democrat. East and West. The Coasts and the rest. Yankee fans and "non-Yankee" fans. To this I add non-white evangelicals and white evangelicals. But, unlike all other divisions, these two parties are called [in an already/not yet stage] to be in harmony and unity. Because what makes us different, our skin, is "non-essential."

This is the future of the evangelical church in America. And we must play our cards right.

Perhaps even five years ago during the first "Future of Faith" series it was considered "non-appropriate" for a non-white to write on the future of the evangelical church in America. But I am American. I'm just "non-white." Once the evangelical church in America starts to realize and embrace this we'll be all right. And next time, I think I'll have better luck asking Siri.

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