I’m co-teaching the Sunday morning Bible class at our church. We’re talking about how the church interacts with today’s culture and, no surprise, Bible class members are very concerned about what’s happening in American public life today. But what can we do? Complain, lament, but we feel stymied.
“American’s Theological Beliefs Changed to Suit Post-Pandemic Practice.” That title caught my eye and suggests to me what congregations need to be doing. Lifeway Research surveyed changes in Christian beliefs since the pandemic. Here are two quotations that lead Lifeway’s report. “After months of quarantines and social distancing, however, Americans increasingly believe worshiping apart from a church is as good as attending church services.” “Additionally, most Americans (56%) don’t believe every Christian has an obligation to join a local church. Fewer than 2 in 5 (36%) say this is something all Christians should do.”
To be sure, there are biblical reasons for regular in-person attendance, but here’s a practical, make-a-difference-in-society-reason from another article. “Faith community is the foundation of societal good. It builds strong families, cultivates better mental and physical health, and provides for the welfare of communities and of the vulnerable in ways that no other entity does. Some argue that secular institutions can help provide this—antidotes to loneliness, or answers to the human search for purpose. Thus far, however, no secular institution has replicated what the church community does at scale.” (Erick Andersen, National Review)
How can we make whatever little difference we can make in today’s American society? One Bible class member asked that question, and I answered, “In my opinion, we first need to evangelize the members of our church.” Do we churchgoers think American culture has a speck in its eye but we’re not seeing the log in our own eye, Matthew 7:3-5? Why do WE join and worship regularly at our congregation? Habit? Salvation? For the good of our neighborhood and community?