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Christianity Today, April, 2008 |

Review

Dear Disillusioned Generation

The 'failed experiment' called the church still looks better than the alternatives.

Katie Galli | posted 4/21/2008 08:45AM

If you've talked to 20-somethings lately, you've probably noticed we're disillusioned about almost everything—government, war, the economy, and most things having to do with The Man. We're especially ...

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MA Woodward

Posted: April 27, 2008 10:38 AM

This conversation suffers from a false dilema. I have been blessed to be in a place where the Acts patern is being experienced now. It says they met a) in the Temple and b) house to house. We need the community that can only be experienced in small groups, but we also need the structure Jesus gave when He gave gifts to the Church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Those are ordained offices that build up the believers so they can do the work of ministry that will happen out of the small group relationships. Don't bail on the Church, its what Jesus loves. Resources for authentic Church are out there. Make it a priority to be healthy.

John	Posted: April 27, 2008 1:58 AM

1. Most evangelical churches are so noisy before & after a worship service. I wish people would enter & exit church quietly & reverently. Evangelicals need to cut the chit chat in church. 2. I don't need someone to greet me or befriend me to go to church. I go to meet God in His house, period. 3. Sitting through orchestra performances, solos, & choir hymns before a sermon is SO Boring. 4. Why can't evangelical services begin at noon or 1pm on a Sunday? The day of rest is not restful for so many overworked people. Why is 10am is so sacred? What I need: 1 hour of corporate meeting time total, once a week on Sunday = 12:00noon, Enter sanctuary & pray 12:05, Read scripture 12:10, Corporate prayer and/or song(s) 12:20, Collect offerings and tithes 12:30, Sermon 1:00pm, End in prayer 1:05---Exit quietly & reverently & keep sanctuary open for private prayer--minimum of 30 min. Corporate worship is not about you or me, it is about you AND me coming together to worship Him.

Steve Skeete

Posted: April 23, 2008 12:27 PM

I sympathise with those who are disallusioned by the organised Church and would prefer to meet at a bar or a laundermat. My suggestion is, let them, then watch what happens a few months or years down the road. I guarantee two things will be observed. They will either be no longer together - still out there looking for a bar or cinema to meet in, or they will be back to doing some of the same things they disliked, albeit in some slightly different way or under some other name. Would I not like to hear a "message" every Sunday that will make a difference to my Monday through Friday? Sure! But do I also want to meet with like-minded brethren, sense the presence of God, and experience again the wonders of His goodness and His redemption plan? A message need not be work related to be life related. There are places in the world where people walk for hours to give praise and worship to an awesome God. Is that is not Church then I ask you, what is?

John von dem Beck

Posted: April 22, 2008 11:39 PM

They usually are disillusioned because they had too many illusions, and being able to take their shoes off in church--or keep them on while standing on their seats or kneelers--or otherwise look/act like careless slobs are not even the worst of it. Disrespectful&anti-social attitudes/behaviours stem fr/culture which encourages hyper-individualism&self-centredness, so they expect everything to be convenient, comfortable, and in agreement with their own personal opinions. Training begins in the home, and, like the leash on a dog, it must be used to control&discipline. Then when they arrive in church they will be prepared for The Cross: self-sacrifice, altruism, the good of the community.

Jay	Posted: April 22, 2008 3:25 PM

Very interesting. In my opinion we Americans are a bunch of babies; me included. We don't really know hardship. Those in India, China, and the Middle Eastern countries know persecution; we have no idea what that really feels like. If something does not cater to our flesh; we go elsewhere. The 20 somthing crowd has more choices than ever; like choosing a soda pop. In my childhood we had 5 choices of soda pop companies with about 2 choices per soda that took up 10% of today's pop grocery store shelves. You can equate this to the kids of today; their choices are overwhelming. Many of our youth think that they can have Jesus and fornicate, lie, cheat on their tests in college, etc., with no ramifications. What does the Word say? "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world."

Kim	Posted: April 22, 2008 1:17 PM

Boy, we're a selfish bunch. We think that the "church" owes us the entertainment and engagement we seek like sending an email to find a potential date picked after setting a search criteria on a website. We need to get over ourselves and our list of requirements for fulfillment. Jesus said....I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. We, the church, are the bride of the bridegroom (Christ) and are continually being prepared for the wedding feast. Irrelevant? Styles of worship are man made, not God made. If we focus on the style and leave out God we are sorely disillusioned. Jump into those churches that appear to be unproductive and boring and help them regain some life! Quit complaining and make a difference. Bloom where you're planted! But stop judging style because you're not "satisfied" with it. There is purpose in all.

les schofield

Posted: April 22, 2008 12:23 PM

The article and some of the responding comments underscore the profound need for a decent ecclesiology - not to mention some historical realism. Many scholars of the real type have been commenting on this subject for some time with a view to actually reading the New Testament and patristic literature without the benefit of idealistic glasses. The truth is that the church is still with us in spite of the flaws and is one of the most resilient "institutions" in human history. Folks who want to hold the whole Bible should not be surprised when the human foibles discussed in its pages turn out to be accurate. Indeed, if the flaws had not been present from the beginning, most of the New Testament would not exist. The language of narcissistic despair needs replaced with the language of confession, repentance, forgiveness, mercy, grace and the rest of the vocabulary of a people living in hopeful expectation of the Redeeming Presence keeping His word.

Jorge

Posted: April 22, 2008 12:01 PM

I am still waiting on the people I share a pew with to move up in their sanctification. Problem is, they would say the same of me. Much of what passes for rejection of the local church is narcissism. In those cases where the church fails, and it certainly does often, the antidote is to help bring change and restoration. If that's not possible, find a local body that is at least trying to be in covenant with each other under the authority of Scripture and abounding in the love of Christ.

Stan Baldwin

Posted: April 22, 2008 11:34 AM

What those who would jettison the institutional church need is a good dose of repentance from self-centered arrogance. Is the church flawed? Of course! It is made up of people like us. To stand in judgment of our fellow believers, to reject their institutions because they are not good enough (or pure enough or spiritual enough or whatever enough) for us, is self-righteous and offensive. Do what we can to make the church what it ought to be--that's what Jesus and the Apostles did with the organized religion of their day. If the organization expelled them, so be it, but the fracture did not originate with them.

Pierre Eade

Posted: April 22, 2008 11:32 AM

I was once taught that behind every criticism there is a hint of truth. It takes a humble heart to view a personal attack in this light. Jesus himself said, "Agree with your adversary quickly" (Matt 5:24a) addressing the need to bring reconciliation among fellow believers. So, let's drop our guard and admit that "institutional church" has it's flaws and may not be for everyone. If one person finds edification, sanctification and glorifies Christ in a house church, then Praise Jesus. If another finds themselves best at home in an informal setting, great! The location of our worship is not as important as the person whom we worship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23,24) Pierre Eade www.christiangrowthnetwork.com

Ken J.

Posted: April 22, 2008 11:03 AM

Disillusionment is something that can be G*d-given and goes well beyond the 20-something's. If you hunger for Him and to see the beauty and fullness of Christ in us expressed in His Body, then you may find the institutional form lacking, perhaps a form of godliness but denying the power. While the vitality of the Body can be seen and experienced in some measure in events, programs, liturgy, bureaucracy .... etc, we it a mere shadow, a wooden expression of what G*d is showing us in His Word and through The Spirit. I believe there is a G*d given hunger in our spirit to go beyond the forms we are constrained in. It is difficult, perhaps a far stretch, to find support for the way we do church in scripture, or even in the first three centuries of the Body on earth. I do see that the forms we exist in today have their origins outside of scripture and have been greatly influenced by man's ideas. Constantine played a huge role in giving us the shape we are in. Check out "Pagan Christianity"

MO	Posted: April 22, 2008 8:57 AM

Having served as a church elder for several years and a leader in many parachurch ministries, I have found the biggest obstacle to keeping the church relevant to any generation is the lack of sound Biblical teaching in an effort to build the believer on Sunday mornings. I have attended and helped lead "contemporary" congregations with "relevant" mission statements for many years. Unfortunately, as a whole, we have watered down the Gospel, and turned Sunday mornings into a "feel good" event designed to do what we, as Christians, were supposed to do outside the walls....evangelize the lost. The church is not a sanctuary for the "un-believer". it is a sanctuary for the beliver to be trained, built up, and sent out for missions under the Great Commandment. When we, as Christian leaders, recognize that throwing this responsibility for conversion of the lost on the shoulders of our pastors on Sunday morning is not Biblical, we will return the church to its historical and Biblical roots.

Terry Johns

Posted: April 22, 2008 8:02 AM

This is not a new problem. Anyone who studies the Bible will find it very difficult to locate a few if any of the practices that have become sacred cows within instructional Christianity, including the Sunday service. Scripture teaches us the traditions of men make the word of God have no effect. There is not ONE shred of evidence in the New Testament that Pastors led churches, yet today it is excepted as a norm. Starting with a clean sheet of paper requires being a lateral thinker and something most western Christians struggle with. Babylon has duped us and convinced the masses that instructional Christianity is the church. Jesus would walk by. My big concern isn’t how far off the rails we are, its how easy we are duped into deception and how spineless most of us are. www.freechristianbook.ca

Josie Bowman

Posted: April 22, 2008 7:46 AM

I believe that a quote from that astute French Christian, Jacques Ellul, from his book,"The Subversion of Christianity," replies well to this article. "The first Christians had no particular reverence for the places where believers met and where they heard God's Word and celebrated the sacraments. But once such places became splendid imperial buildings and the theology of the sacraments changed...these places were invested with the beliefs that appertained to pagan temples. God was epecially present in such places. "We have said that in the New Testament there were no priests. There were deacons (to offer aid), prophets (to preach), teachers (to give instruction), and bishops (to see to good order). There were no priests because Jesus was the one unique mediator. But once the sacred reappeared in Christianity, people were needed who could carry out and represent it, and who also would serve as mediators...The priest has functions which he alone can discharge."

Peter

Posted: April 22, 2008 6:11 AM


Speaking as someone who changed citizenship from Reformed to Roman Catholicism, and who finds the latter at times invincibly kitschy and just plain weird, I am reminded of a line from one of C.S. Lewis' books, and here I paraphrase, God wants worshipers, not critics. So, yes, I continue to return, doing yet another turn in what can be a great wasteland. And yet.

Patrick Dennis

Posted: April 22, 2008 3:18 AM

I couldn't agree more with this article. I'm not a tremendous supporter of the traditional church, but this constant criticism of the church is really ridiculous. The people directing this are very arrogant. This idea that Jesus was Eastern and the church became Westernised through Platonic philosophy is a very sweeping statement. What about the emergent types: Are Derrida and Foucault Eastern? People need to quit talking about things they do not understand. Many people saying these things have never studied theology or philosophy.

Ty	Posted: April 22, 2008 1:38 AM

A couple of quotes: 'Church is much more complex than "worshiping and sharing Jesus."' Really? I guess that depends on how you define worship. If by worship, we mean all of the Biblical elements that define worship put into a community setting (be it a home, pub, or wherever), then I would have to disagree. Also, you opine, 'I'm not sure it's possible to sustain real-life faith without institutions.' Really? Have you read anything about China in the last 50 years? Perhaps that bit of history is a strong example of the potential of a non-institutional house church movement. Wasn't the early church similar to that? You also might want to consider the zeal embodied by house churches all over the 2/3 world today. They put the glitzy, sleepy, consumer-oriented faith of the West to shame...Biblically speaking.

Dave	Posted: April 21, 2008 11:53 PM

Youngsters of Katie's age should not think they are experiencing something new. There are many of us in our 50's who are frustrated with the organized church. Why? Because organization prohibits or at least stifles the work of the Holy Spirit. Those things mentioned: litergy, catchesis, creeds, ordination and sacraments all smack of institution, church membership, control, and authority. All of these things lead to homogeneity, the foundation of church membership. What might happen if we let God have His way through the Holy Spirit? Laundromats would not be an issue, for the "place" has no bearing on the spiritual. We might not need building programs. We allow ourselves to be confined by this world, from which we should be leaving, graduating, emmigrating, naturalizing to another more solid world.

Diezba

Posted: April 21, 2008 10:29 PM

I couldn't help but read the critiques of the "church" that the books addressed were very closely related to non-denominational and evangelical megachurch-style churches. The problems that my generation feels aren't addressed in these types of churches, it's true; but the answer is not to quit church, the answer is to go back to the early church: the church of the sacramental reality of encountering Jesus every Sunday corporately as a fundamental support for the weekly/daily/hourly/minutely encounter with him individually that we enjoy through the Holy Spirit. If you're a member of the Disillusioned Generation, try an (orthodox) Anglican congregation: encountering Christ in the liturgy -- with its constant and overwhelming refrain of Scripture and its means of placing an individual Christian into the universal (not just geographic, but chronologically) Church from all places and all times -- and in the sacraments (especially communion) -- will knock your socks off.

Benson Hines

Posted: April 21, 2008 10:15 PM

Really good. The upcoming generation is less obsessed with being anti-institutional than us Gen-Xers, too, which is good news for the reasons you said. There is an attractive depth, an "authentic vintageness" (Authentage?), in many of the new forms or newly-discovered old forms. Assuming you're attending the church I think you are, you are in one of my fave churches I've visited in the 120+ I've seen since August (on a research trip). I'm excited you get to see colorful community and historic "institution" all in one. I've certainly seen many college students and others in that "leavers" group this year, as well. Bummer. Hopefully more are stepping up to say what you've said so well.

Mary	Posted: April 21, 2008 8:28 PM

I am from the old school. I am tired of the church that does not join all generations. Where Testimonies personal ones of what God is doing today in the lives of my brothers and sisters of any age are not shared. Where all sharing appears to be aimed at the nebulous crowd of disillusioned ones. I miss the close fellowship I used to know. I miss expository preaching that uses the Bible and not the pastor's own limited life experience as the basis for preaching. I miss hymns of substance sung together with new songs of praise that have not yet passed the test of time. But Scripture says NOT to forsake the assembling together of believers. In the old school we were taught that Scripture, not my feelings, or anyone else's feelings but SCRIPTURE... was the final authority. So I stay and hope and find little nuggets yet that encourage me that God's church is not dead.

Christine

Posted: April 21, 2008 7:50 PM

As a single adult over the age of 25 (well over the age of 25), I don't fit any of the pigeon holes. I have even been passed over for communion and the tithing plate when sitting alone. I am a firm believer in God. However, my experience with the church has been very discouraging. If you don't look like everyone else, talk like everyone else, and fit into one of the pre-defined pigeon holes then you're treated as a leper. The church has definite value. I would like to be involved in one. But, I am by all counts an out of church believer at this time.

Gregory

Posted: April 21, 2008 7:33 PM

I think the problem is so complex that just blaming it on "the institution" is downright scapegoating. Yes there are problems with our religious institutions, but that will never change? The problems themselves might, but there will always be a new problem. I was raised in a nondenominational, Evangelical tradition, I became disillusioned with it. In my pilgrimage to find a home church, I found that the Christian "Family Tree" is so rich with tradition from Roman Catholic to the Friends, from Anabaptists to Presbyterians, our religious heritage is something that defines us, it is part of who we are. It is not something that we can just casually throw away, although it is also not something to idolize. I heartily agree with Doug, that there is so much to be disillusioned about, but there is so much to be hopeful about. I have finally found my place as an emerging episcopalian, and hope to become a priest in that tradition, because I want to make a difference, even if it be small.

Tom W

Posted: April 21, 2008 7:23 PM

Hey, the Presence of the Lord shows up at our church. I wouldn't miss it. The teens and twenties love it too. Maybe the answer to the Church at large is to open hearts to God himself. Peter says in Acts 3:19 to come to God (though Jesus) so that you may experience times of refreshing by the Spirit. You don't have to adopt everything the Pentecostal-Charismatics do, but why not give this scripture a try? All it takes is worship (instead of just singing) and an open heart.

RevvedOut

Posted: April 21, 2008 7:02 PM

Not raised in church, I joined as an adult. I went on to a Christian college, then to seminary and ordained ministry. I definitely am not getting what I want out of church--a community of disciples of the Christ who love Jesus and one another and reach out in service to the world, built upon the bedrock of faith. It IS irrelevant to daily living, based on what I see in my own parishioners. Parents drop off their kids for Sunday School (for what purpose?) though they themselves do not follow a Christian path or participate in Church, and the adults in worship see no reason to study the Bible. It is focused inward on self-righteousness and piety, never outward in faith for mission. I have tried to meet people where they are and lead them forward, but they have busted my chops. They have substituted spirituality and responsiveness to God for religiosity and tradition. Recalling Jesus' words to his disciples, I have decided to shake the dust off my feet. I plan to soon leave church.

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