By Rudy Barnes, Jr.
The mission of the Christian church
is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. That
evangelical mission should be distinguished from converting people to the
Christian religion. Discipleship is
about following the teachings of Jesus, while orthodox Christianity emphasizes belief
in mystical and exclusivist church doctrines and creeds that were not taught by
Jesus.
The church in its myriad
manifestations claims over 70% of Americans, but it has failed in its mission
to promote discipleship. That became evident
in 2016 when Christians elected Donald Trump as president. He is a man who represents the antithesis of Christian
morality.
The church has put its popularity as a
social institution ahead of discipleship.
That misplaced priority has undermined the credibility of the church and led
to its decline. Jesus taught that the way to God’s kingdom was narrow and
that few would find it (Matthew 7:13,14).
But in its zeal to gain converts the church subordinated the relevant teachings
of Jesus to mystical and exclusivist church beliefs that were more congenial to
a popular religion. It was a costly
mistake.
But all is not lost. There is a Wesleyan alternative for today’s
irrelevant church. John Wesley (1703-1791)
was a progressive Anglican priest who encouraged his Methodists to “think and
let think” and to interpret scripture based on tradition, experience and
reason. He formed his followers into small
groups called classes that met weekly
to explore the meaning of discipleship and practice it. In so doing, his Methodists put heart into a stiff and formal Anglican
Church.
Times have changed in the last 300
years, but some things remain the same.
Wesley’s Anglican Church was a part of an English monarchy dominated by wealthy
aristocrats who exploited the poor. The
Constitution separates the U.S. government from the church, but the church has
been complicit in giving Donald Trump and his Wall Street aristocracy political
powers that have exploited the middle class and contributed to the demise of
democracy.
Ironically, Wesley was skeptical of
democracy. He and Edmund Burke warned
Americans that in a democracy they would “forge their own shackles.” Given the evolution of American democracy, they
may well have been right. The vast
majority of voters claim to be Christians, but most promote politics that
contradict the teachings of Jesus. To
prevent the further demise of democracy in America, Christians must apply discipleship
to their politics.
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is
Wesley’s progeny. It is racially united
in its structure, but has segregated congregations. While black UM churches address political
issues from the pulpit, white UM churches avoid mixing religion and politics. Partisan politics are defined by race, with black
Methodists supporting Democrats while most white Methodists support
Republicans. Like other protestant
denominations in America, the UMC is in decline.
The decline of mainline Protestant churches
is due to their moral irrelevance. They have
failed to apply discipleship to social and political issues and instead emphasized
exclusivist church doctrines that do more to divide religions than to reconcile
them. The result has been an increasing
number of “nones” who are leaving the church, or never joining it.
America needs a revival—perhaps even
a revolution—in its religion and politics.
The UMC has been as unwilling as the Anglican church of Wesley’s day to address
contentious political issues. For the
church to be relevant in today’s democracy it must promote the moral teachings
of Jesus as a standard of political legitimacy for people of all races and
religions.
The greatest commandment
to love God and neighbor was at the heart of Wesley’s Methodist movement, and
it is also a common word of faith of
Jews, Christians and Muslims today. It emphasizes
discipleship in promoting a politics of reconciliation; and since the church has
failed to promote that mission of faith and politics, a Wesleyan alternative is
needed.
The concept of a house church is a modern adaptation of Wesley’s
class. It doesn’t need church facilities or a full-time
pastor, and it could revolutionize the nature of the church and its clergy. If traditional churches that employ full-time
pastors continue to decline, those in the clergy will likely have to charge a fee
for their services, much like lawyers and doctors.
The decline of the church in Europe
and America will likely continue, but people of faith can find alternatives in
small groups that are relevant to their needs of faith and politics. The house church is older than Christianity
itself, when people of the way met in
their homes on their journey of faith.
It is an ancient prototype of the church that can restore its relevance.
Notes and commentary on related
topics:
On
white evangelical Christians who voted for Trump and continue to support him,
see http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/26/among-white-evangelicals-regular-churchgoers-are-the-most-supportive-of-trump/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=e8cb0f5465-.
On Americans becoming less religious, see
On organized religion being replaced by disorganized religion, see https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisladd/2017/03/30/organized-religion-is-being-replaced-by-disorganized-religion/#63f0dfc4489c.
Ross Douthat has urged progressive
believers to “ignore the minor problem of actual belief” and go back to church
to save the mainline denominations.
See https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/save-the-mainline.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0.
Jonathan Malesic has questioned
Douthat’s advice and emphasized the importance of belief. See http://religiondispatches.org/douthats-wager-go-to-church-even-if-you-dont-believe/.
On the evangelical roots of our post truth society, see https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/opinion/sunday/the-evangelical-roots-of-our-post-truth-society.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0.
For a survival guide for our post Christian nation, see https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-survival-guide-for-our-post-christian-nation/2017/03/24/74b5ae7e-10c3-11e7-9b0d-d27c98455440_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinionsA&wpmm=1.
Bishop
John Hopkins cited three diverse commentators--Roger Starr, George Will, and
Fred Barnes--who agreed that John Wesley’s Revival had saved 18th century
England from civil chaos, and that such a spiritual revival is needed in the U.S.
today. (Hopkins comments at a Connectional Table meeting at Fort Worth, TX, on
Oct 23, 2006)
On the relevance of Wesley’s
principles to modern religion, legitimacy and politics, see Lovett H. Weems,
Jr., John Wesley’s Message Today (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1982). On think and let think (p. 8), on the
Wesleyan Quadrilateral (pp. 11-13), on classes
(pp. 48-52), and on social holiness, or faith and politics (pp. 62-72).
On the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (the interpretation
of scripture based on tradition, experience and reason), see Our Theological Task in The Book of
Discipline of the United Methodist Church , pages 78-91, at https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/DynamicContent.aspx?id=87&pageid=920.
On various forms of gatherings for
progressive Christians that go beyond traditional church services, see https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/gatherings-a-manifesto/.
On the concept of the house church,
see Philip and Phoebe Anderson, The House Church (Abingdon Press,
Nashville, 1975).
On the greatest commandment as a common word of faith, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/the-greatest-commandment-common-word-of.html.
On the future of religion: in decline and
growing, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/06/the-future-of-religion-in-decline-and.html.
On the evolution of faith, religion and
spirituality, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/02/the-evolution-of-faith-religion-and.html.
On religion, race and the deterioration of
democracy in America, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/03/religion-race-and-deterioration-of.html.
On religion, democracy, diversity and
demagoguery, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/03/religion-democracy-diversity-and.html.
On irreconcilable differences and the demise of
democracy, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/11/irreconcilable-differences-and-demise.html.
On discipleship in democracy as a test of
faith, legitimacy and politics, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/12/discipleship-in-democracy-test-of-faith.html.
On saving America from the church, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/01/saving-america-from-church.html.
On the mega-merger of Wall Street, politics and
religion, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/the-mega-merger-of-wall-street-politics.html.
On the need for a revolution in religion and
politics, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/the-need-for-revolution-in-religion-and.html.
On the relevance of
Jesus and the irrelevance of the church in today’s world, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/04/the-relevance-of-jesus-and-irrelevance.html.
