Perhaps Changing Times Calls for New
Structures
One thing
that is going unstated in all of the efforts of the faithful to define themselves as
evangelical, progressive, liberal, conservative, emergent, etc. is that all of
our accustomed institutions as we know them took shape in the wake of the
Industrial Revolution. Our religious and educational systems have not really
changed since the 19th century. In that formation, they were well suited for equipping
the populace for conformity, duty, and factory work. As society has changed,
and is still in the process of changing, our institutions have not really kept
pace.
I think that
part of what we are experiencing is that we are living in a vortex of change
and it is not really clear how institutions will arise to meet the needs of our
society. I for one see the importance of preserving the “mainline Protestant
witness” as well as the “Evangelical witness” as well as the historical
“liturgical witness” to how Christianity is to be lived out in the world. How
all of that will happen will probably not play out the way any of us envision,
but it is vital that we keep trying, each in our own way, to flesh out this
faith that has been deposited.
I have a hunch
that we will see new ways of passing on our religious/spiritual values. The
growing numbers of people who describe themselves as “spiritual but not
religious,” and who glean their spirituality from a variety of sources, may
give us a clue as to what structures may serve us better in the future. Will we
see more enclaves, teaching communities, and online sources while seeing fewer
traditional houses of worship?
Our
generation may see nothing more than change, disruption and turmoil until
society comes up with institutions or structures – educational, political, and
religious – that that are more congruent with 21st century life and
understanding. These will be the interesting times. The settled times, the new
age, the future hope for a society that works, may lie on the other side of the
vortex. Though we cannot yet see what that will be, we must at least find a way
to pass the torch to a new generation.
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