the coming evangelical collapse

Some of you may have already seen this article entitled The Coming Evangelical Collapse [@Christian Science Monitor]. There are certainly some good things for ruminations, discussions, and considerations but like many things written for the purposes of drawing attention, it makes some grandiose statements.

I’d love to hear from you regarding your thoughts and commentary about the article [below]. Do you agree? Disagree? What stood out to you?

And if you believe the Western church is in trouble, here’s the million dollar question: Why and what can be done?

Is Christianity in trouble? It really depends on how you look at the situation. I have shared for some time that we live and have lived in a Post-Christendom Western world for a long time. But because we dominate the resources of the world including information, we think we still remain the cradle of all things vibrant Christianity. Having spent some time in other countries and pastoring two years in Korea in the ’90s, the Western world is NOT the center of the world. I’m not trying to diminish the work of the Church in the West as it’s clear that it’s still influential but the Gospel is flourishing in many places outside the Western world especially in places around Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Furthermore, while Christianity – in its various forms – are struggling in the Western world, we should also point out that it’s not the case in every situation. For example, ethnic churches, on the most part, are still flourishing in the West…

So, are we in the midst of a collapse or a spiritual recession in the West? Well, these are certainly challenging times but just like the current economic recession, I see this as an opportunity for the “evangelical church” to re-discover their identity and grow deeper in our mission. What I’m saying is that decline and talks of death aren’t necessarily bad things since sometimes, those very things will wake us up. And perhaps through ‘death,’ we see the possibility of life anew.

In fact, perhaps this collapse ought or needs to take place in order for us to discover ourselves once more from all that which have lured us away from our identity: both as individuals and as a larger community.

And what’s the solution? Not enough time and energy to share all my thoughts now but this I will share: For me, Western Christianity have become victims Continue reading “the coming evangelical collapse?”