"To truly follow Jesus is to follow the lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:6), not the roaring lion “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)."
Tag: American evangelicalism
Pastor Note #143: Coercion & the Kingdom of God
Here’s an important diagnostic question for American Christians to ask themselves: “Does my vision for the kingdom of God rely on coercively imposing righteousness on my neighbors?” Said another way, “Do I see the kingdom of God as something that should be forced upon people against their will? Are people coerced into the kingdom of God or invited into it?”
Quote of Note #214: The Superficial Faith of Christian Nationalism
"[Christian Nationalism] leads to superficial Christianity rather than to sincere faith and deep discipleship." Wright & Bird
Quote of Note #203: Counter-cultural Faith?
"At times, the evangelical church has been indistinguishable from Western, white American culture."
Quote of Note #196: Influencing Culture or Being Influenced by It
As a result, we are angrier and more divided within both our nation and our church than we have been in a very long time.
Quote of Note # 149: The Materialistic Values of the American Church
photo by GAC "Typically, we see the success of churches measured by the numerical size of the church or the financial health of the church (often reflected in the condition and appearance of the church building). In more colloquial language, we focus on the ABCs of church success: Attendance, Buildings, and Cash. Or even more … Continue reading Quote of Note # 149: The Materialistic Values of the American Church
Pastor Note #102: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward Coercive “Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3
Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3 In Part 1 of this essay, I laid out some examples of Evangelical fears, particularly in the form of their desire for a strongman-protector. I have also presented statistical evidence of significant shifts in the demographics of faith in America. In … Continue reading Pastor Note #102: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward Coercive “Christianism”: an Essay Part 3 of 3
Pastor Note #101: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 2 of 3
Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 2 of 3 The Passing of the Christian Worldview in American Society The statistics I laid out in the first part of this essay have gotten a lot of attention over the years since they were first published, and so I think we can … Continue reading Pastor Note #101: Evangelical Fears and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 2 of 3
Pastor Note #100: Evangelical Fear and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 1 of 3
Evangelical Fear and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 1 of 3 Can Christianity in America survive without a strongman-protector? Is the plight of Christianity in American such that it can only be preserved by the guardianship of a strongman-protector in government, particularly one who is not encumbered by scruples stemming from such … Continue reading Pastor Note #100: Evangelical Fear and the Turn Toward “Coercive Christianism”: An Essay Part 1 of 3
Quote of Note #30: American Evangelicalism and Tribal Deities
"Something had gone terribly wrong with American evangelicalism, or, perhaps, I thought, it had always been wrong and I was simply seeing the problem only now. Over the forty-three years I had been a Christian, the orientation of American evangelicals had shifted from what many theologians call the ultimate to the penultimate. We had descended … Continue reading Quote of Note #30: American Evangelicalism and Tribal Deities
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 