In the buggy whip business?

Buggy whips manufacturing was a common business 125 years ago.  The long whips drove the horses that pulled the carriages. Then, along came the horseless carriage, and by 1925 the buggy whip business was limited by near zero demand!  Any business facing extinction because of changes in demand is compared to the buggy whip maker of old.  Many are stating that the Christian church in America is at that point.  We’re offering what fewer people desire.  It’s not just about the kind of music or the length of the sermon. Churches are facing real challenges. 

A recent article written for pastors reported the thoughts of sociologist Peter Berger.  He says our nation is now being “shaped by three deep and fast-moving cultural currents: secularization, pluralization and privatization. Big words. Even bigger ideas. But it’s within these words and ideas that we find the wider cultural key to the rise of the ‘nones.’“ 

Secularization is the removal of religious ideas and symbols from society.  The realm of the ‘sacred’ becomes isolated and irrelevant to the ‘secular,’ the day to day decisions that people make.
Privatization is natural next step for seculars. A person can believe most anything she wants as long as she keeps it to herself!  Religion and moral convictions are relegated to private practice only.
Pluralization is the competition of various ideologies and religions that make it nearly impossible for one central religion to shape the nation.  America is a swirling brew of philosophies and most have adopted tolerance to such a high degree that to even suggest the exclusive Truth claim of Christianity is an offensive act! 

I believe Berger is an accurate observer of American society and that the trends he describes are real. So, is the Church slipping into obscurity, fading away to extinction?  The Church of Jesus Christ will never die!  But, many churches (local congregations) will. They will fail to adapt or they will attempt to maintain programs, buildings, and staff that are simply too expensive.  Others will adapt too quickly and become compromised by the culture and in a short time become absorbed, losing their distinct identity as a church.  The YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) is an example of that slide.  When it was founded, the Y had a powerful Christian witness. It was founded in the mid-1800’s to help young men who were moving from rural farms into the cities to maintain their Christian life. The mission of the organization shifted and with that shift, Christianity completely disappeared from the Y.  Many churches will have the same fate in the next quarter century, becoming places for social gathering and/or to provide services to groups in need.

Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18, NIV)  And, for 2000 years, she has remained. Sometimes she flourishes, sometimes she falters. In some places she fades, in others she shines!  But, His Church remains because God wills it.  That is why I am confident that Christianity is not on the brink of extinction.  I have no illusions, however, that the kind of church I have known for all of my life is guaranteed survival. 

Christian, to what extent have the trends described by Peter Berger overtaken you?  

• Have you separated your faith in Christ from your ‘real’ life? Is He Lord only of your hope of Heaven and your Sunday worship, but nowhere visible in your life at work, your choices about work, your life in your home? 
• Are you a ‘silent disciple’ unwilling to risk the ire of the world around you by talking of Christ, of God’s will and way?
• Have you allowed the myriad ideas around you to subtly creep into your mind, attaching themselves to the Truth that you learn from Scripture?

There are no simple answers for Christians, no easy solutions for churches.  With these trends we must become thoughtful students of the Word, intimate with the Spirit.  In these things we will remain both alive to God and distinct as His holy people with the sure hope of an eternal home prepared for those who love Him.

Here’s a word from the Word.  Jesus calls His Church to endure. May we hear Him speak.

 “These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. 
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

Remember the height from which you have fallen!

Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

(Revelation 2:1-7, NIV)