Comments on: And now a cautionary lesson from the Evangelicals

By: Future(s) of the LDS Church | Adventures in Mormonism

Future(s) of the LDS Church | Adventures in Mormonism — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:13:02 +0000

[...] LDS Society, Main, The Last DaysThe last two posts have dealt with the future (in America) of Evangelism in particular and Christianity in general. Ardis Parshall’s comments on the former post raise the question [...]

By: Afternoon links - 11 March 2009 | A Soft Answer

Afternoon links - 11 March 2009 | A Soft Answer — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:38:33 +0000

[...] that just depicts a polygamous Muslim family living somewhere in rural America.”» And now a cautionary lesson from the Evangelicals» Big Love hits below the beltWhy apologize when they get an ex-Mormon to consult for the [...]

By: bfwebster

bfwebster — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:21:50 +0000

It’s as though evangelicalism doesn’t have a mission beyond its own survival.

Well, to a certain extent, it doesn’t — and I don’t mean that in a negative way. One foundation of the Protestant Reformation was (and is) the “five solas”: by Scripture alone, by faith alone, by grace alone, Christ alone, glory to God alone. Given that, Evangelism per se doesn’t have a mission beyond, well, evangelizing — that is, bearing witness of Christ in word and deed in hopes that others will accept Him. And I haven’t even thrown issues of predestination and justification into the mix.

There is no central authority or organization, no priesthood, no Correlation Committee, and definitely no prophets, apostles, or seventies. Formal missionary work has typically focused on non-Christian groups and has usually had a very strong emphasis on humanitarian effort as well. In some ways, it couldn’t be more different from the LDS Church, with our focus on historicity, dispensationalism, revelation, organization, authority, consistency, and the three-fold mission of the Church.

Spencer’s key insights, in my opinion, are those regarding Evangelical youth. The LDS Church is both focused on and worried about our own youth, since more ‘members of record’ (those born into the Church) tend to drift away in their mid- to late teens than at any other age. I found this description particularly interesting:

young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it

It sounds like one long EFY/Youth Conference approach. And though I’ve groused at times, this shows the wisdom (and, dare I say, inspiration?) of the Seminary program. Between Seminary and Sunday School, not to mention Family Home Evening and family scriputre study, our youth reach 18 ignorant of our faith only by deliberate choice and parental neglect. If anything, we should step up the level of teaching in all tracks. ..bruce..

By: Ardis

Ardis — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:25:09 +0000

I’m too centered in Mormonism to judge how accurate or overstated his predictions might be. What jumped out at me is one grand difference between how he writes about his foreseen demise of evangelicalism and how I would expect any Mormon who predicted the decline of Mormonism to write about it:

I would expect a Mormon to be concerned about the mission assigned to the church — how are we going to reach the world? how are we going to redeem the dead? There is no sense of that in this article. It’s as though evangelicalism doesn’t have a mission beyond its own survival.

By: Some thoughts from a Catholic as well | Adventures in Mormonism

Some thoughts from a Catholic as well | Adventures in Mormonism — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:45:37 +0000

[...] Society, Main, World ReligionsE. D. Kain at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen has also taken note of Michael’s Spencer’s prediction of the collapse of Evangelical Christianity and added some thoughs of his own from a Catholic point of view: Now my personal take is that the [...]