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#627324
https://mereorthodoxy.com/six-way-fract ... elicalism/

I thought this article helped articulate some of the movement within evangelicalism recently and was wondering what you all thought. What number are you? What type of church do you attend? Just curious, not trying to start arguments.

I see myself as a 3 (but the quiz at the end put me as a 4 :lol: I blame Jared Bias :lol: ) and my church is definitely type B.

What about you all?
#627326
I skipped straight to the descriptions and the quiz. Want to dive in to the article more when I get some time.

Quiz said I was a 3. I'd probably label myself a 3.5. The 1 vs 3 fault line is almost spot on though.

As for church, I attend a B. I'd say my ideal is B-/C+. Somewhere between the two.
#627328
This is pretty interesting stuff to me. Quiz said I'm a 3 and I'd say that is pretty accurate. I go to a type B church.

The church in America is at a very interesting point in it's history, I think. Obviously God's will will be done but the line has been drawn in the sand by many as far as poltics and Christianity goes.
#627334
A very thoughtful and well-written article. It avoid being judgmental while clearly identifying the differences.

The quiz indicated that I was a 3 although I probably straddle the 2/3 line. I currently go to an A church for a varety of reasons. But I definitely was more comfortable in my old B church.

One issue that it never really addresses is age. The younger you are the more likely that you are going to lean toward 3 or 4. The older you are, the more likely to be classified 1 or 2. The church I am now attending in my neighborhood has about 80% of its attendees in retirement. As a result, a lifetime of nationalism and culture wars feels comfortable to them. Thankfully we have a pastor who does a nice job of managing the situation.

I agree that we are likely to see more splintering. This happened back at the end of the 19th Century here in America The difference beeing today that labels are less likely to be used in branding.
#627337
Sly Fox wrote: June 8th, 2021, 9:49 pm The church I am now attending in my neighborhood
This is such a word. My wife and I did some “church shopping” when we were first married. We had settled into a compromise of Thomas Road simply based on work schedules, but never felt connected, until one day someone knocked on our door from a small group from another church that met down the street. It’s a blessing to be so connected to our neighbors and care specifically for our neighborhood.

I don’t think I would ever do “church shopping” again. Certainly there should be deal-breakers in a church, but to pick a church based on a list of my wants just feels shallow and consumeristic- I’d much rather join my local, neighborhood church and be in proximity and care for my neighbors, even if it’s not where I feel most comfortable.
#627343
Colin Kaepernick.
“Grab them by the p… ”
Confederate monuments.
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery.
COVID – serious problem or overblown?
Trump, Biden, other, or abstain?

All of the above are politics, involving sinful men. They play no roll in my faith.


Good reads
https://www.gotquestions.org/evangelical-theology.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/neo-evangelicalism.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/search.php ... gelicalism
By JK37
Registration Days Posts
#627344
2A. A lot of what Sly said resonates. We had the pastor who adeptly managed. But he just resigned. Will be interesting to see where we go from here.

@TH Spangler The list of cultural events at the top of the article wasn’t meant to suggest they play any role in your faith. Rather, as the article says, it points out how your faith informs a worldview that modifies how you respond. Put another way, your FAITH plays a role in THEM.
thepostman liked this
#627345
stokesjokes wrote: June 8th, 2021, 10:19 pm I don’t think I would ever do “church shopping” again. Certainly there should be deal-breakers in a church, but to pick a church based on a list of my wants just feels shallow and consumeristic- I’d much rather join my local, neighborhood church and be in proximity and care for my neighbors, even if it’s not where I feel most comfortable.
There's a fine, fine line here that we have to be careful walking. Finding a church based on wants can be consumeristic, but isn't always that way. God has uniquely wired each of us to respond to teaching styles, worship styles, and types of ministry. If we are searching for a church that has those things so that we can get the most out of our relationship with Jesus, more effectively learn the Bible, and serve others best then it's not consumeristic at all.
#627348
Category 2 for me.
.
https://www.gotquestions.org/evangelical-Christian.html

There is no doubt that holding to the fundamentals of the Bible will result in a certain worldview and, yes, political belief. However, there is nothing about being an evangelical that demands a certain political party or affiliation. An evangelical Christian is called to share the good news, to preach God’s Word, and to set an example of purity and integrity. If these callings require political action, so be it. At the same time, evangelical Christians should not be sidetracked into abandoning our highest calling—sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Things that concern me are abortion and efforts by some to infringe on my religious liberty. I want nothing to do with "Christian Nationalism". But I love my countries founding values and our constitutions ability to right our wrongs. I like "Economic Nationalism", a strong healthy United States plays a positive roll around the world.
#627349
Read the article and took the quiz. Just from reading the categories, I would have put myself down as a 3.5, somewhere between 3 and 4, but the quiz has me at a 3. My daughter, who knows me pretty well, thinks I'm a 4. And the church I go to is a Type C church, and it suits me well.
#627365
I read part of the article over lunch but gave up on it. I thought there was an actual quiz you took or something.
My biggest issue with this (and quite frankly a lot of things of this nature) are it’s emphasis on Trump. I’ve read Art of the Deal but I’m unaware of any Theological writing by the former President. I know he has taken the complacent GOP and turned it on its head but I’m not seeing any Trump Tabernacles being constructed to replace Traditional Churches.
Just a thought here. When discussing The Church, let’s focus more on the Gospel than a Politician
#627373
Such a 2 thing to say :lol:

I see what you’re saying, the Trump focus has gotten tiresome. I think one’s attitude toward Trump is just a convenient compass point towards revealing the differences between these camps. I think what you’re seeing is that the observed evangelical fracturing isn’t really about doctrine. The first 4 of the 6 categories would probably claim most, if not all, of the same core doctrines. The fractures in the church seem more about cultural concerns and orthopraxy.
#627384
And yet, non-issues, or essentially non-existent in some parts of the country. Those particular tensions and categories don't exist as defined in the churches I'm most familiar with. I have witnessed tensions with sexuality and perceptions of morality in some churches, however.
#627385
thepostman wrote: June 9th, 2021, 1:29 pm The quiz is at the bottom. You didn't get far enough down. Good job.,
I scrolled to the bottom looking for it. I must have missed it. Remember I was eating lunch. Ha
#627386
Ok. I finally found the quiz. It was about the “6 Types of meat to never buy at Wal Mart” and the comment section
Hated the quiz. There were 3 questions I literally had no answer provided I felt I could check. A couple of questions didn’t seem pertinent. I took it 3 times and got 3 different scores.
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