Rachel Held Evans' piece on Life After Evangelicalism speaks powerfully to me.
The comments are as you would expect, though: concern trolls, mansplainers, HillaryButs, and #NotAllEvangelicals. 90% of them far more concerned with the state of their own reputation and (self-)righteousness than the wounded hearts of others.
I think that what I like is that she doesn't blanket advocate leaving the Evangelical movement in the essay, just lets the broken and hurting people know they're not alone and that they don't have to give up Jesus in giving up the Evangelical church - no matter what the Evangelical church claims.
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coffeeandrings: Light.
I don't think this is a 'dark time' - at least not in the way the panicking Christian thinks it is. Frankly, a world in which I can't even admit to reading the Bible for fear of death, is a world in which I learn how real my faith is. Is it terrifying? Hell to the yes. Would I rather not have to go through it? Well, duh.
But I'd learn that my faith was real. I'd be reminded that God is not my vending machine. I'd be reminded that whatever happens, I am still His. I don't think that enough Christians - Australian, American, anywhereian - quite comprehend that these days.
And it's a little weird, I think. Christians have always been taught that our 'persecution' would take the shape of the Roman persecution of the late empire. In fact, I think the church's greatest temptation will be to be offered the world and lose its soul - and I think they just took the first lie about the fruit that will ultimately cause its fall - "if you take on the power of the world, you will not die spiritually as God has claimed but will be like Him, having the power to define good and evil".
The comments are as you would expect, though: concern trolls, mansplainers, HillaryButs, and #NotAllEvangelicals. 90% of them far more concerned with the state of their own reputation and (self-)righteousness than the wounded hearts of others.
I think that what I like is that she doesn't blanket advocate leaving the Evangelical movement in the essay, just lets the broken and hurting people know they're not alone and that they don't have to give up Jesus in giving up the Evangelical church - no matter what the Evangelical church claims.
--
Possibly relevant for
beatrice_otter and coffeeandrings: Light.I don't think this is a 'dark time' - at least not in the way the panicking Christian thinks it is. Frankly, a world in which I can't even admit to reading the Bible for fear of death, is a world in which I learn how real my faith is. Is it terrifying? Hell to the yes. Would I rather not have to go through it? Well, duh.
But I'd learn that my faith was real. I'd be reminded that God is not my vending machine. I'd be reminded that whatever happens, I am still His. I don't think that enough Christians - Australian, American, anywhereian - quite comprehend that these days.
And it's a little weird, I think. Christians have always been taught that our 'persecution' would take the shape of the Roman persecution of the late empire. In fact, I think the church's greatest temptation will be to be offered the world and lose its soul - and I think they just took the first lie about the fruit that will ultimately cause its fall - "if you take on the power of the world, you will not die spiritually as God has claimed but will be like Him, having the power to define good and evil".