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Three Worlds in Evangelism, Responding to conflicts in the Church, and Answering Listener Feedback on January 6th

John and Maria discuss a First Things article on the state of evangelicalism before responding to some feedback from earlier commentaries on the January 6th incident.

01/15/22

John Stonestreet Maria Baer

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John Stonestreet

Maria Baer

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John and Maria discuss a new way of looking at the divisions in the American church. John notes how it is helpful to have these kinds of discussions, but Maria argues that statistics shouldn’t be a determining factor on living out one’s faith.

Maria then asks John a few questions about some of the feedback we’ve received from our January commentaries. Regarding the approach BreakPoint has taken in recent politically-charged moments, John thanks our audience and welcomes feedback as we navigate societal issues together.

To close, Maria asks John how he thinks we should respond to the various church issues around us. John urges us to keep the story and the moment straight, while continuing our focus on being the Church.

Topics

Church
Evangelicalism
January 6

Resources:

** Story References **

THE THREE WORLDS OF EVANGELICALISM

American evangelicalism is deeply divided. Some evangelicals have embraced the secular turn toward social justice activism, particularly around race and immigration, accusing others of failing to reckon with the church’s racist past. Others charge evangelical elites with going “woke” and having failed their flocks.
First Things>>

Why Are Religious Conservative Parents More Successful at Passing on the Faith?

Children of religious conservatives have a 19% chance of attending worship services at least weekly. This may sound low, but it’s higher than the 15% chance we see in people from moderate or liberal families. At the other extreme, an estimated 43% of the children of religious conservatives report no worship attendance at all in young adulthood, compared to 52% for everyone else.

Religious conservative parents are more effective at transmitting their faith to their children. We shouldn’t overstate the effect here, though. Children from all groups are, on average, less religious than their parents. Religious conservative parents still face an uphill battle in passing on the faith. But they do fare somewhat better than their moderate or liberal counterparts, even those who are just as religiously committed themselves, belong to the same religious tradition, and are similar in other respects.

IFStudies>>

Remembering January 6 by Missing the Point

Neither our faith nor our despair belongs placed in the idols of political parties or candidates. God has called us to this time and this place. Therefore, we cannot abandon our political moment no matter how messy it gets. Conversely, we should never treat our politics as if it’s greater than the One who calls us.

BreakPoint>>

God (Still) Loves His World

Bavinck lived and wrote amid a rapidly shifting cultural landscape. So, in many ways, his time resembled our own. Through his work, he sought to help Christians develop a robust “world-and-life view,” one not only big enough to handle the vast changes of the emerging modern world but which would enable God’s people to join His work in restoring all that’s marred and misdirected by sin.

BreakPoint>>

** Recommendations **

The Lost Daughter

The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism