In the past month, Time and Newsweek have peaked the interest of the Evangelical community with the articles, "Ten Ideas that are Changing the World" and "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Their analysis is accurate not so much on the theological, but rather sociological, level. One thing is clear however. If the cumulative sociological perspective of these two articles is accurate--as I think it is--then Christianity (as Calvinists understand it) is on the rise, and Neo-Evangelicalism (as reflective Calvinists have criticized it) is going extinct. And that is just another way to say that Calvinism--properly defined--is biblical Christianity and Neo-Evangelicalism has been the serious departure from the historic faith that its Reformed critics have always claimed it was. One may not like that conclusion, but to what other conclusion can one arrive?
Then again, it is mildly irritating to rely on the secularist to always offer more penetrating analysis of our total condition than do Evangelical scholars and pastors. A few years ago during the Super Bowl halftime show, a commercial for The Simpsons featured an advertisement of its own, with a scantily dressed lady leaning over as she pumped gas into her car. As guys were staring at her and she got up, a necklace with a large cross was now showing from where her cleavage was. The caption of the commercial announced: "Church--We're changing how we do things!" Naturally Lisa looked over at Bart and offered her usual out of place for a little girl profound commentary. Many other examples of op-ed pieces in secular newspapers or SNL satires could be enlisted to make the same point. Why is it that the church is the only one that doesn't get that our message is uniquely powerful and powerfully unique!
I have no thrilling conclusion to these two paragraphs. It's just making me do some thinking about future teaching, etc.
Then again, it is mildly irritating to rely on the secularist to always offer more penetrating analysis of our total condition than do Evangelical scholars and pastors. A few years ago during the Super Bowl halftime show, a commercial for The Simpsons featured an advertisement of its own, with a scantily dressed lady leaning over as she pumped gas into her car. As guys were staring at her and she got up, a necklace with a large cross was now showing from where her cleavage was. The caption of the commercial announced: "Church--We're changing how we do things!" Naturally Lisa looked over at Bart and offered her usual out of place for a little girl profound commentary. Many other examples of op-ed pieces in secular newspapers or SNL satires could be enlisted to make the same point. Why is it that the church is the only one that doesn't get that our message is uniquely powerful and powerfully unique!
I have no thrilling conclusion to these two paragraphs. It's just making me do some thinking about future teaching, etc.
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