Tim Keller on the Decline and Renewal of the American Church - Part 2
I’m still reading Tim Keller’s essays on The Decline and Renewal of the American Church, some of which is very American specific, but much of it also translates into the wider Christian world.
Definitely worth reading, he offers a genuine plan for revival and renewal in a post-Christian world, my commentary is below.
In the third essay, Keller starts out by asking how revival happens. His answer is that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate cause of revival, but accompanying factors include a recovery of the gospel, corporate prayer, and creativity.
He then refers to movements that carried forward revival and reformation and the characteristics that accompany them. Keller regards post-1950s evangelicalism as a case in point, it had unity and energy, until it was tarnished in the 1980s and 90s by groups that sought to push it into a neo-fundamentalism and its brazen alliance with the GOP.
Keller has a lot of lists and dot-points here, most interesting for my mind was his list of “projects” including:
Church planting and renewal.
‘Counter-catechesis’ discipleship.
Post-Christian evangelism.
A justice network.
A faith-work network.
The “Christian mind” project.
A new leadership pipeline.
Christian philanthropy.
I think this is precisely what we need and I can’t think of anything to add or subtract from that list.
In the fourth essay, Keller teases out these projects and explains how they play out.
As to why we should seek revival, one line gripped me strongly!
Christians seek spiritual renewal of the church not because they see religion as having social utility, nor because they just want to shore up their own institutions. Rather, we believe Christianity is relevant to society because it is true—it is not true because it is relevant. Christians do not believe in and promote the faith because it brings so much hope (though it does) or because it fills you with joy (though it will) or because it creates deep and strong community (though it can) or because it can heal our society of many ills (though it might). Rather, Christians seek renewal of the church as a way to love and serve the One who saved us. Jesus told us to “Go and make disciples of all nations… baptizing them… and teaching them” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The challenge is, Keller reminds us, to avoid the failures of the progressive mainline churches, and the errors of the neo-fundamentalist movement too.
Keller ends with a call to action:
Conclusion: Jesus started the greatest movement in the history of the world not with any seed money, nor with an organization or institutions. He didn’t leave behind a book, or even a vision, mission, and values statement! Instead he left behind a group of friends who had become a community through common bond with Himself, but also through shared common experience together. “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see” (Luke 10:23). It will take a community of friends who ask God to open their eyes to see the same things, to bless them with those truths and aspirations, and to help them renew the church that he purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
Props to Keller, he’s given me a lot to think about how to renew Christianity, church, evangelism, and cultural engagement in a post-Christian country like Australia.
Jesus charged his disciples with the task of making disciples. And the Father empowered them with his spirit to fulfill that task, which also includes witnessing Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
I think the church has become to focused on social issues, activism, welfare programs. And although they are good and important, they don’t necessarily fulfill Jesus’ commission to his church—to witness his resurrection and make disciples by teaching them to obey his commands.
Like the first century church, we today need that empowerment of the spirit of God. The pattern we see in Acts is being in one accord and one mind, in prayer, and waiting.
Our societies don’t need more Christian social programs. People are in need of experiencing something supernatural from God. They need to see God in action, giving them a glimpse of what is to come for those who believe, through miraculous works.
The real work will be to get Christian tribes to be of one mind and accord, to pray together and wait.
Perhaps the thing missing here is the Pentecostal element? (It may be in the book.) The Charismatic renewal from 50's to 70's was significant in church life. And perhaps things went wrong there in places, too, with the strange 'charismania' that is usually the part of the church that now gets reported on. Do we need to rediscover the early strengths of that movement, too? I spent 10 years in a London Anglican church that the local Pentecostal minister described as 'more Pentecostal than his fellowship.' We got some things wrong, but there was an awful lot of good that came out of the church - for me it was life changing. The blending of the liturgical and the Spirit was a good balance, in both directions.