The Christian religion seems to many to have lost its way. Church attendance is down. The number of folks who identify themselves as being a Christian has declined in many parts of the world. In fact, the number of people who are hostile to Christianity seems to be on the rise!
We could all cite a host of reasons for the apparent decline of Christianity: The priestly pedophilia scandals of the Catholic Church, the political activism of Evangelicals, the incessant squabbling within the Church over doctrinal differences, the perceived hypocrisy of the folks who practice the religion, the stubborn refusal of many Christians to accept or reach some kind of accommodation with modern scientific findings, the feeling among many young people that the religion fails to address the reality of their own lives, etc.
Nevertheless, for those of us who are familiar with the history of the first millennium of Christianity, we know that there was a time when this religion excited much devotion internally and much interest from without. Think about the rise of Christianity to a position of preeminence within the Roman Empire over the course of a few hundred years. Think about the efforts of Patrick among the Irish and Columba among the Scots and Picts. In times past, Christians persuaded the folks of other religions to abandon their traditions and adopt the Christian faith. How were they able to do that?
We read in Scripture that folks attributed miracles to Peter, Paul and the other apostles. Moreover, the question of whether or not these happenings were in fact miraculous is immaterial to this discussion. The people believed them to be miraculous. The apostles' concern for the sick and disadvantaged of society had an impact on almost everyone who observed it. In short, it generated a feeling of "I want to be a part of that!"
In times past, the Christian Church was looking out at the world around it and interacting with it on a fundamental level. Now, many Christians seem to be inward looking and focused on interacting with their own.
To be sure, there are still many Christians who cling to that outward looking tradition of their forefathers. On occasion, we still have miracle workers like Mother Theresa. There are still folks around like my youngest daughter's high school friend from Alabama, who recently volunteered her nursing skills to go to New York and help with the Coronavirus outbreak there. Unfortunately, these folks seem to be becoming the exception rather than the rule.
In other words, have you performed any miracles lately? Have you done anything lately to capture someone's imagination? Have you done anything lately to excite someone's interest in what would motivate you to do what you do? Is a discussion over which holidays should be observed going to excite more interest in your church than the miracle of caring for others? Are folks more interested in a treatise on what's going to happen to them when they die OR something that has had a profoundly positive impact on them in the here and now? How did Peter, Paul, Patrick and Columba win all of those converts to Christianity?
We could all cite a host of reasons for the apparent decline of Christianity: The priestly pedophilia scandals of the Catholic Church, the political activism of Evangelicals, the incessant squabbling within the Church over doctrinal differences, the perceived hypocrisy of the folks who practice the religion, the stubborn refusal of many Christians to accept or reach some kind of accommodation with modern scientific findings, the feeling among many young people that the religion fails to address the reality of their own lives, etc.
Nevertheless, for those of us who are familiar with the history of the first millennium of Christianity, we know that there was a time when this religion excited much devotion internally and much interest from without. Think about the rise of Christianity to a position of preeminence within the Roman Empire over the course of a few hundred years. Think about the efforts of Patrick among the Irish and Columba among the Scots and Picts. In times past, Christians persuaded the folks of other religions to abandon their traditions and adopt the Christian faith. How were they able to do that?
We read in Scripture that folks attributed miracles to Peter, Paul and the other apostles. Moreover, the question of whether or not these happenings were in fact miraculous is immaterial to this discussion. The people believed them to be miraculous. The apostles' concern for the sick and disadvantaged of society had an impact on almost everyone who observed it. In short, it generated a feeling of "I want to be a part of that!"
In times past, the Christian Church was looking out at the world around it and interacting with it on a fundamental level. Now, many Christians seem to be inward looking and focused on interacting with their own.
To be sure, there are still many Christians who cling to that outward looking tradition of their forefathers. On occasion, we still have miracle workers like Mother Theresa. There are still folks around like my youngest daughter's high school friend from Alabama, who recently volunteered her nursing skills to go to New York and help with the Coronavirus outbreak there. Unfortunately, these folks seem to be becoming the exception rather than the rule.
In other words, have you performed any miracles lately? Have you done anything lately to capture someone's imagination? Have you done anything lately to excite someone's interest in what would motivate you to do what you do? Is a discussion over which holidays should be observed going to excite more interest in your church than the miracle of caring for others? Are folks more interested in a treatise on what's going to happen to them when they die OR something that has had a profoundly positive impact on them in the here and now? How did Peter, Paul, Patrick and Columba win all of those converts to Christianity?
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