In this series of posts, I’m summarizing some of Linda Mercandante’s research contained in her interesting book, Belief Without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious. My goal is to help you understand what some of your parishioners might be thinking. They may consider themselves to be in the SBNR camp. Remember, however, that every one of us breathes air containing particles of this kind of thinking. Every Sunday our preaching collides with these notions.
One prevalent opinion has to do with what a “good” church should be like:
“When I think of going to a community, I think of them making demands on me and my work and my family and my marriage life. It’s life-draining. I haven’t found a community that nourishes.” (pp. 163-164).
Or…
Look at those two quotes again and note how many times our preaching centers on God’s perspective on the Church, what it is and how if should function. Look at how many of these beliefs are combatted each Sunday.
As you know, we can’t apologize for what the Church is or for what parishioners are responsible to do. We can provide a theological apologetic for why, for instance, God makes demands, why we have belief systems and fixed leadership. While that can’t win the day on its own, we’re trusting that those that have ears to hear will embrace Christ’s Body.
Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).
Randal
I’m afraid that a lot of their complaints stem from how we have preached and practiced our Christianity for the past hundred years-plus. People are tired of being pigeon-holed as good or bad, based on external criteria that may or may not be based on biblical principles. The only way to reach such people is to find a way to show them that anything that the Bible teaches, it teaches for our own good/benefit/protection. We like to think of ourselves as independent, self-actualizing individuals–and our society is all-in on this, and the church/Christians stand is firm opposition to that–but for a reason. If someone rejects those reasons, if they reject an Absolute God, who created us for His purposes, then it is their fault, but if they reject a caricature of that, then it is our fault, IMO. On the other hand, it seems, looking back over the past 100 years, plus of history, that this day was inevitable. Compare it to the histories of other places and times, and it _really_ looks inevitable. At this point, we can hope to redeem individuals, but society is going where it’s going, taking the bulk of the people with it–people who are not evil and don’t think of themselves as evil (sorry, but saw a snippet of the Apple testimony on the iphone case, and the FBI director said something along those lines), but who, despite their best intentions, are rejecting the one and only way to not truly be evil.
This series of yours has been sad to me. It is easy to forget just how people around us really view things. But this is true, even her in “Catholic” Poland. The under-30 group is definitely in this SBNR camp.
Coming from a fundamentalist/legalistic background, I have witnessed the prominent place that “external criteria” has played (extra- or supra-biblical). I agree with your assessment that it’s important for us to show how God’s laws lead to life (“our own good/benefit/protection”). According to my reading of Paul’s epistles, all societies are headed toward hard times spiritually speaking. Thankfully, some of our listeners will have ears to hear. It’s interesting to hear your assessment of your ministry context. As always, thank you, for reading and responding with depth.
Randal
Yeah, actually being within it myself, it is painful to watch, and frustrating to fight. And Poland, while not having a fundamentalist tradition, has its own struggles with legalism amongst the Evangelical Christians.