Poor Luther

The Internet Monk has delved into how evangelicalism is attempting to "throw Luther from the train." It got me thinking.

I grew up in a red-state evangelical environment and scarcely knew anything else until I boldly moved from the Evangelical mecca (how's that for a mixed metaphor?) that is Colorado Springs to a mecca of another sort, Los Angeles. This was a little scandalous, and I was warned about What Could Happen if I up and moved There... but I didn't become a heathen, or get mugged, or get plastic surgery or meet celebrities every day. But I did learn a lot about my faith and I met a lot of people who challenged it and I began thinking about how to apply head knowledge to the practical issues of my life. And since college, I have been questioning the actions of some of the more outspoken Evangelicals. More particularly, I have been questioning the "movement" itself: what people are doing in the name of evangelicalism, which has come to equate, for many people, Christians and non-Christians, "American Christianity."

First a note on the literal meaning: Dictionary.com (it's on the internet, it must be true!) defines evangelical as "1: relating to or being a Christian church believing in personal conversion and the inerrancy of the Bible especially the 4 Gospels; 2: of or pertaining to or in keeping with the Christian gospel especially as in the first 4 books of the New Testament 3: marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause." By this definition, I am an Evangelical Christian. But by the modern American connotation of the word, well, I'm not so sure, and I'm not sure the word "evangelical" (or any word) can even accurately sum up everything that a Christian is.

Because if you say "evangelical" to an average American, what reaction do you get? I usually get rolled eyes, or a suspicious stare, or raised eyebrows. I think they equate me with Jerry Falwell, who has somehow become the spokesman for evangelicalism through his poignant observations such as, "Theologically, any Christian has to support Israel…If we fail to protect Israel, we will cease to be important to God." (I just...just...yeah...it renders me speechless. There's enough in those last 14 words for many rants. Next post, maybe.) No matter who they equate evangelicalism with, it's not who I want to be equated with: Jesus. Why is that?

I can't answer that thoroughly, let alone on a blog post. But I think the iMonk is onto something when he lists the ways modern evangelicalism has strayed from Luther's Reformation. To name a few:
-The rejection of confessions, creeds or any meaningful statements of faith for churches or their members.
-The widespread abandonment of constitutional church government, and in many cases the modeling of the church after business models.
-Increasing opposition to accountability relationships and structures, whether through denominations or regional/local oversight.
-The distressing proliferation of the self-credentialed ministers claiming direct authority and communication from God ("anointing") and accountability to no one.
-The steady decline of the place and quality of preaching and the increasing place of entertainment in worship, especially through music, drama and technology driven visuals.
-The decline of the Bible in every aspect of worship and church life, and the increase in the place of secular worldviews or direct spiritual experiences as authoritative.
-The dividing of the congregation into segments based on demographics, "felt needs," and the resulting loss of congregational identity.

So my point is that when Christianity becomes more concerned with attracting new members to church, or making people feel good, or aligning themselves politically, instead of knowing and serving Jesus Christ and living by his Word, the result is those raised eyebrows and suspicious stares. Why should people listen to me talk about Jesus if they suspect that I'm doing it for a political motive? Or if they suspect that I'm not serious, it's just so much cotton candy that tastes nice and then disappears? Or if they think it's just a fad religion, a result of modern society and nothing else?

It is dangerous to forget our history: not only Jesus' teachings (which of course take precedence) but those who have reminded us, sometimes very harshly, of what is important in the faith: Calvin, Luther, Edwards...and all those others we don't really talk about so much. When we forget those, and we forget the Great Foundation Christianity has, we are so much more easily tempted to embrace a feel-good version of religion, one that satisfies our wants instead of teaching the Truth. And if people can't detect the Truth (Jesus) in our lives because it is covered with cotton candy, well, they *should* look at us suspiciously.