Introducing the project
Thesis Statement: I examined the trending Apathy, Deconstruction and Division in the segment of the Church described as “evangelical” and investigated whether they have their roots in something specific in this movement’s history. As we might research our family ancestry for clues to spiritual strongholds in order to repair and renew for this generation and those to come, I looked at the “ancestry” of the evangelical church and concluded that one of the core causes of these spiritual problems is the absence of the Holy Spirit from the development of church leadership, strategy and teaching. In direct opposition to the call of Jesus himself, to wait for the power of the Spirit to launch the initial ministry, many evangelical churches have gone ahead with ministry, and left the Spirit behind.
Background: I entered Warrior Training during a season of searching for answers. Shortly after the pandemic began, many Christians displayed a disturbing representation of the institution known as the “Church”. In short, there was division, rebellion, public insults and other generally bad examples of Christian witness. It revealed a clear divergence from the example and instructions that Jesus gave to the disciples, and the practice of early Christians.
None of this was new, it was just that it became so overt and so personal, that even the usual division between “left” and “right” was further fractured into every other issue on the table. Rather than be the source of salt and light, or an offer of help and hope, the “church” (in general) appeared fairly similar to the rest of the culture. However, it did expose some important issues, and that exposure was a catalyst for change of mind (and repentance) for some believers who began to see a difference between what the early church did as they followed Jesus, and what we are seeing in the American church.
So I questioned. And Warrior Training brought a fresh wind to my search for answers. Now after four years of observation of the interaction between the Kingdom of God and the Systems of this World, and four years of equipping and application, I have some conclusions. This project is only the tip of an iceburg, but it contains some clear connections between decisions of our descendants and problems in the present. The good news is that the Word of God, when taken on the whole and applied through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, still has the power to destroy these strongholds. “For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Some questions I posed during this project:
Why are so many Christians, or “churchgoers” living a spiritually apathetic life, energized more by things like entertainment and politics than the Great Commission?
What is happening in the generation of young adults (Gen Z) who were raised by faithful church-attending, Bible-studying, and involved parents, yet they barely nod to spiritual growth?
Hint: the same answer applies to both of the above questions.
What happened in the lineage of evangelicalism (or Christianity in general) to cause a legacy of division rather than unity, of bondage rather than freedom, and of religion rather than disciple-making?
What follows is a summary of some of the answers I found.