Why am I suspicious of an article by a self-proclaimed evangelical that appears in the New York Times?
Is this the latest negative meme regarding evangelicals?
My goodness, it seems just last week it was evangelical’s fault that Romney lost.
Sort of odd, blaming a group whose influence has collapsed, don’t you think?
Whose influence is putatively on the rise among religious groups, and to what sort of account should this group be held, marshmallow?
Evangelicals have not adapted well to rapid shifts in the culture — including, notably, the move toward support for same-sex marriage.
Quite possibly because they have read the Bible.
Maybe he's not doing it right? Not sure what this means or how he defines evangelicals, but for me the Bible has never been more relevant than now, nor has my need for faith been stronger.
Reading the stories posted here and then stories written in the Bible, other than technology and location, I'm basically reading the same story.
If such a lay person as me is having this experience in these interesting times we find ourselves living through, I would think those in his profession would be building larger parking lots or looking for larger and more grandiose facilities.
No they just choose not to go to a watered down Osteen type church and be counted. True conservative Southern Baptist churches that have traditional services are doing very well.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
http://bible.cc/ephesians/6-12.htm
I suspect it is churches that are culturally irrelevant that are shrinking. I attend a church that just passed 12,000 attendees-most who were unchurched before. There is hunger for truth in the hearts of people. Churches too often put up unBiblical barriers that repel those who are open to truth.
IT hasn’t been a good year for evangelicals. I should know. I’m one of them.In 2012 we witnessed a collapse in American evangelicalism. The old religious right largely failed to affect the Republican primaries, much less the presidential election.
He's conflating evangelicalism with conservative (in it's current sense) politics. Not the same.
ping to read the article later.
I suspect it is churches that are culturally irrelevant that are shrinking. I attend a church that just passed 12,000 attendees-most who were unchurched before. There is hunger for truth in the hearts of people. Churches too often put up unBiblical barriers that repel those who are open to truth.
The Decline of.... America.... period
Some evangelical leaders are embarrassed by our movement’s present paralysis. I am not. Weakness is a potent purifier. As Paul wrote, “I am content with weaknesses ... for the sake of Christ” (2 Corinthians 12:10). For me, the deterioration and disarray of the movement is a source of hope: hope that churches will stop angling for human power and start proclaiming the power of Christ.Simple faith in Christ’s sacrifice will march on, unchallenged by empires and eras. As the English writer G. K. Chesterton put it, “Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”
Amen
John S. Dickerson is the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church and author of the forthcoming book “The Great Evangelical Recession: Six Factors That Will Crash the American Church ... and How to Prepare.”
Might be worth looking at.
The Bible believing, Bible preaching church I attend is growing and thriving.
Someone should tell him numbers mean nothing