- The culture has changed and the church hasn't adapted.
- Same song, second verse - the way we did things back then don't work today. One might say the church is stuck in the past.
- Same song, third verse - back then, church was a primary social center for people (alongside school activities). Today's society offers multiple social outlets - think kids sports, dance, etc. People don't look to the church for social connections the way they once did. And they don't have time for church because they are so involved in those other pursuits.
- Same song, fourth verse - the country has become polarized around issues and politics. The church has contributed to and duplicated the polarization rather than offering a viable alternative - a different way of living in relationship.
- Same song, next verse - the church has lost its prophetic voice because it duplicates the division in the culture and/or because it seeks to force its beliefs/positions onto the culture through legislation.
- Same song, sixth verse - much of the culture (particularly younger generations) has moved beyond the issues the church is stuck on (i.e., the LGBTQ+ issues The UMC is fighting over).
- Same song ... - fighting over issues never changes anyone. (Did prohibition work? Has the War on Drugs solved the drug problem? Has the War on Poverty eliminated poverty? Will making abortion illegal stop abortions?) The only hope for real change is the grace of God, the transforming work of God's Spirit - the old biblical-church word salvation (being transformed into the likeness of Christ, not going to heaven).
- Next verse - the church has forgotten its message and its purpose. It's message is grace, not condemnation and judgment; its purpose is the transformation of lives, not getting people to believe like us so they will be like us.
There is a deeper issue that is generally unrecognized and, consequently, unaddressed. All of the things listed above are symptoms of this deeper issue. The deeper issue is a spiritual issue. (Do you see the irony in that statement?)
In his letter to the churches of Galatia, the Apostle Paul drew a contrast between the flesh and the Spirit. (See Galatians 5:16-26.) The flesh refers to our basic human nature - our default way of thinking and functioning. We don't have to choose to act out of this nature. It is automatic. The Spirit refers to the Spirit of God who lives and works in us as the followers of Jesus. The Spirit teaches us and empowers us to live the ways of God. This way of thinking and living must be consciously chosen as the Spirit guides us. We must choose not to act out of our human nature in order to live the ways of God.
Paul taught that the flesh and the Spirit are at odds with one another. They produce different outcomes. The flesh is self-indulgent, power-oriented, and divisive. It produces chaos and destruction, resulting ultimately in death. (See the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:19-22.) The Spirit leads us to love out of a spirit of joy and peace. The Spirit leads us into the abundant life Jesus promised. The Spirit works in us (1) to set us free from the power of the flesh while (2) producing Christ's life (the fruit of the Spirit) in us.
The spiritual issue of the church lies in this distinction. The way members frequently think and act is governed more by their human nature than by the Spirit. The result is a human institution that operates out of our human nature. (Think of the conflict that churches experience - of the petty issues over which we fight - of the ways we attack, complain about, and criticize one another - of the way we use power to get our way, i.e., win.) The ways of God are absent; the Spirit's influence is missing. The result is what our human nature always produces: chaos and division that leads to destruction.
The decline in the institutional church is a spiritual issue. More about that in my next blog.
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