Thursday, March 27, 2008

Discussion Group

During our group discussion this week I posed the question… ‘What do you think the Church will look like one hundred years from now?’

The thoughts expressed went in two directions, first; if the Church continues to preach and teach a literal belief in a religion based on an ancient and obsolete worldview. And second; if the Church enters an era of intellectual honesty thus preaching and teaching a religion that is compatible with current knowledge.

In the first instance, most felt that the Church would either disappear or become only a fringe organization among the uneducated and uninformed of society. Other secular organizations would spring up to replace the need for community and altruism. Most likely the US would mirror the current religious environment of Europe.

In the second instance, it was felt that the Church, assuming it reforms its liturgy and teachings, could play as vital a role in the society of the future as it has in the past.; perhaps even greater. This, however, will require a great deal of change and effort on the part of both Church leaders and laity. The small part Progressive Christianity is currently playing in such a change would need to grow enormously over the next several decades.

Which direction will the Church go? Only time will tell, but to be sure, the actions of the current generations of believers will play a part in the decision either consciously or unconsciously.


barry e

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am about to start teaching my second adult education class on Progressive Christianity at my Calvinist church. My church passes for what is here "liberal." So far my experience there would seem to indicate it will be a while before my church makes its way into this century (I'm not sure about whether we made it through the previous century). Yet they let me--the resident radical-- teach such classes, so maybe I shouldn't be so quick to condemn. I'll let you know the end of April how it went this time.