Tim Keller on the Decline and Renewal of the American Church - Part 1

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I’ve been reading Tim Keller’s essays on The Decline and Renewal of the American Church which I think is a terrific read from someone with a whole lifetime of experience in the American church and who understands the interface between religion and culture.

Keller is also someone whose spiritual compass, moral sensibilities, and general theological frame I think translates fairly easily into the wider evangelical global world which is why I always listen to what he says.

I think Tim Keller is the American John Stott!

So what is he saying and is he right?

In the first essay, Keller documents the decline of the mainline churches for abandoning distinctive Christian beliefs in favour of advocating for socio-political causes and therefore having nothing to offer a culture defined by individualism, autonomy, and indulgence.

He concludes:

But the overall project of mainline Protestantism has failed. Today, in light of the discrediting failures within Catholicism and Evangelicalism (see the next article in Winter 2022) many are resurrecting the idea that Progressive Christianity—which is simply an extension of the mainline—is the best alternative. But the fundamental assumptions of mainline Christianity remain intact. It over-adapted to western secular culture 100 years ago and it is still doing so today. And as such, it can’t offer our society an alternative or counter-point, nor can it be the path to renewal for the American church.

I’m in agreement here, ever since I read Thomas C. Reeves’ The Empty Church I saw that liberal/progressive Christianity has nothing to offer. If your church’s purpose is to affirm progressive politics by decorating them with some religious trinkets, progressives will thank you for your support, then reply that they have no need for your trinkets.

In his second essay, Keller talks about the things which have contributed to the decline of Evangelical Christianity such as the sexual revolution, therapeutic metrics for ethics, the politicization of everything, growth in education, and the rise of social-media.

I agree here, but I’d provide a more expansive list of the main values driving western secular civilization are:

1. The sexual revolution is now the official religion of secularism.

2. The ultimate goal of human existence is autonomy and authenticity.

3. The nature of reality is socially constructed, and every private construction of the self must be publicly affirmed.

4. Right and wrong are viewed in the dichotomies of either oppressor/oppressed or pleasure/pain.

5. The invention of the iPhone and social media means that extremist views are amplified and people are now living in socio-political echo chambers. As a result, people choose tribe over truth.

6. Religion is construed as a private hobby, not as a public enterprise.

Next, Keller draws out the distinctions between Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. He makes an interesting point that both Fundamentalists and Progressives seem to have a vested interest in equating the two together. His argument is very much “I’m not with him.”

I believe that there is a theological and sociological distinction between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, however, much like the border between India and China, the precise boundaries can be contested, but that doesn’t mean that the border does not exist.

So what is causing the decline of Evangelical Christianity in America, well, Keller believes it is several things:

1. The United States is slowly running out of traditionally-minded Americans to be converted, and conservative Protestants on the whole are unwilling or unable to reach the highly secular and culturally different.

2. Furthermore, in both Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism there have been many churches and leaders guilty of spiritual and sexual abuse.

3. Notably, conservative church politicization has turned off half the country.

4. Conservative churches, both fundamentalist and evangelical, continue to have a race problem.

5. Fundamentalism is an anti-intellectual movement, and even non-fundamentalist evangelicals tend toward pragmatism.

6. Conservative Protestants lack a model for relating to a secular culture.

I think points # 3, 4, and 5 are American-specific and don’t translate into the rest of the world. Australian churches tended to be more multi-cultural than most politically progressive groups. But I think # 1, 2, and 6 are relevant to many places in the western world.

As for why Christianity might survive in a secular age, Keller gives cause for hope:

1. The limits of secularism - it does not offer a lot of hope and meaning for the human predicant.

2. The strength of global Christianity - global Christianity is growing and outgrowing the secular west.

3. The demographics of religion - secular people don’t have many children.

4. The subversive fulfillment of chosen religion - people tend to chose evangelicalism rather than just go along with it, so they tend to be more committed.

5. The translatability of faith - Christianity is more translatable across cultures in a way that secular progressivism is not.

6. The promise of Jesus - even the gates of hell cannot stop Jesus’s church.

On that, I think I agree!

Next week I’ll talk about Keller’s other two essays: “The Path to Renewal” and “The Power for Renewal”.

What do you think of Keller’s diagnosis of the situation and hope for the future?