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- Dan McDonald on Why Dialogue Matters to Our Unity in a Secular Culture
- Dan McDonald on Our Lack of Unity Fuels Secularism
- Bryan Prosser on Missional Church and Why It Matters
- Holly B. on A Mission from God – Inspiration from James Meredith
- John Armstrong on The Gospel of the Kingdom (8)
Category Archives: Ideology
Non-Voluntarist Protestantism and the Dangers of Secular Modernity
There are two types of churches which constitute the visible expression of Christianity in the modern age. For the sake of simplicity let me call these two expressions of the church the non-voluntary and the voluntary models. If these seem … Continue reading
Understanding our Exilic Missional Context: Evangelicalism and Liberalism in Twentieth Century America
Most historians and religion scholars now agree that by the twentieth century liberal Protestantism had led to a mainstream Protestantism that was vague, theistic and excessively nationalistic. In a profound sense, concludes British Christian Studies scholar Linda Woodhead, “liberal Protestantism’s … Continue reading
Why Politics Matters and How We Got the Wrong End of the Stick (4)
Readers of James Davison Hunter’s magnificent critique of how Christians have sought to transform culture in America will know that he critiques Stanley Hauerwas and Jim Wallis unfavorably, just as he does conservative icons Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus. … Continue reading
Why Politics Matters and How We Got the Wrong End of the Stick (3)
The liberal church’s response, against the backdrop of the social presumptions that I discussed in yesterday’s blog, has very often been a weak-kneed call for “peace with justice.” Hauerwas and Willimon (photo at left) put it this way: “Most of … Continue reading
Why Politics Matters and How We Got the Wrong End of the Stick (2)
It has become our unquestioned assumption, in the modern American context, that we have the “right’ to develop our potential to the fullest extent possible. This assumption is constantly fed by pop-psychology and a goodly number of new unexamined religious … Continue reading
Why Politics Matters and How We Got the Wrong End of the Stick (1)
Two weeks ago I sought to show how the church in America has become subject to a condition of moral, cultural and spiritual exile. Like Israel of old, we are now living away from our true home, separated from our … Continue reading
Living as Aliens in Post-Christendom Culture (5)
Christian sociologist James Davison Hunter has written one of the most important studies of what it means to be faithfully present in the modern, increasingly post-Christendom world that I have been describing over the last two weeks. His magisterial book, … Continue reading
Living as Aliens in Post-Christendom Culture (4)
Since the time of Constantine (4th century) the church has been enabled, in various forms and expressions, to “share” power with the state. This was not all bad. As a result of Constantine the church was allowed the protection of … Continue reading
Living as Aliens in a Post-Christendom Culture (2)
If living the Christian life as “aliens” really describes Christian community/church then we can understand why we are a “colony of heaven” in a “strange” land. The biblical portrait of the Christian church is one in which the church “exists … Continue reading
Posted in America and Americanism, American Evangelicalism, Culture, Current Affairs, Discipleship, Emergent Church, Faith, Ideology, Kingdom of God, Lordship of Christ, Love, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Politics, Religion, Renewal, The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church, The Future
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Living as Aliens in a Post-Christendom Culture (1)
I suggested in my series last week, “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” that Christians were called by God in Christ to live as “a colony of heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Because of this calling we are to live as God’s … Continue reading