T H E O F O U R FA ITH

Transcription

1 T H E FUTURE O F O U R FA ITH An Intergenerational Conversation on Critical Issues Facing the Church RONALD J. SIDER AND BEN LOWE R

2 2016 by Ronald J. Sider and Ben Lowe Published by Brazos Press a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Sider, Ronald J. Title: The future of our faith : an intergenerational conversation on critical issues facing the church / Ronald J. Sider and Ben Lowe. Description: Grand Rapids, MI : Brazos Press, Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN ISBN (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Christianity Forecasting. Church. Intergenerational relations Religious aspects Christianity. Classification: LCC BR145.3.S DDC 277.3/083 dc23 LC record available at Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011 Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations labeled Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations labeled RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved

3 To my six granddaughters with the hope that they experience life in its fullness. RS To God for reconciling us into the body of Christ. And to my parents for pointing me and so many others to God. BL

4 Contents Acknowledgments ix 1. Why This Conversation 1 Part 1 Ron Sider s Chapters (with Ben Lowe s Responses) 2. Will You Remember Evangelism? Ron Sider 9 Sidebar: Jo Anne Lyon General Superintendent, The Wesleyan Church 21 Response by Ben Lowe 27 Discussion Questions Will You Reaffirm Truth as You Learn from Postmodernism? Ron Sider 33 Sidebar: Christopher A. Hall President of Renovaré 35 Sidebar: Nicholas Wolterstorff Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University; Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia 43 Response by Ben Lowe 50 Discussion Questions Will You Keep Your Marriage Vows Better Than My Generation? Ron Sider 57 Sidebar: Carol Schreck Emeritus Associate Professor of Marriage and Family, Palmer Theological Seminary, and Peter Schreck Emeritus Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Palmer Theological Seminary 65 vii

5 viii Contents Response by Ben Lowe 73 Discussion Questions Will You Lead the Church to a Better Stance on Homosexuality? A Better Vision Ron Sider 79 Sidebar: Jim Daly President and CEO, Focus on the Family 93 Response by Ben Lowe 110 Discussion Questions 117 Part 2 Ben Lowe s Chapters (with Ron Sider s Responses) 6. Will We Live More Like Jesus? Ben Lowe 121 Sidebar: Jason Fileta Director of Micah Challenge USA 126 Response by Ron Sider 130 Discussion Questions Will We Renew Our Political Witness? Ben Lowe 139 Sidebar: Jenny Yang Vice President of Advocacy and Policy, World Relief 142 Response by Ron Sider 150 Discussion Questions Will We Reconcile Our Divisions Better? Ben Lowe 161 Sidebar: Christena Cleveland Associate Professor of the Practice of Reconciliation and Director of the Center for Reconciliation, Duke Divinity School 167 Response by Ron Sider 174 Discussion Questions Will We Recover Our Responsibility for God s Creation? Ben Lowe 187 Sidebar: Gabriel Salguero President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition 194 Response by Ron Sider 204 Discussion Questions 213 Conclusion: Jesus at the Center 215 Notes 219

6 Acknowledgments From Ronald Sider Many thanks to Ben Pitzen, my student assistant at Palmer Seminary at Eastern University, who did a superb job typing my manuscript for me and finding materials. From Ben Lowe With love and thanks to: Mom, Dad, Gram, Uncle Art, Nat, Ellen, Jude, the Kampung Clan, and the rest of our family. Eric Norregaard for writing the discussion questions and offering feedback on yet another one of my writing projects. Josh Martin, for being my roommate through another book. And for being so patient and helpful about it. My colleagues at the Evangelical Environmental Network, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, and the Au Sable Institute for your inspiration, encouragement, and prayers. Diane Swierenga, the Norquist family, Rob Gallagher, Fred Hickernell, Noah Toly, Jamie Aten, Peter and Miranda Harris, ix

7 x Acknowledgments Fred and Linda Van Dyke, and Vince and Ellen Morris for your counsel, support, and friendship. Ryan Cherry, Nate Liu, Pascal Ramadhani, Jenn Carver, Ellen Leahy, Liz Dong, Cheryl Wenzlaff, Wil and Katie Maxey, Jerry Liu, Jonathan Kindberg, and other good friends for being community. Jason Fileta, Jenny Yang, Christena Cleveland, and Gabe Salguero for kindly contributing the sidebars to my chapters. The good folks at Baker Publishing Group and Brazos Press, particularly Bob Hosack for taking on this book. And, finally, Ron for giving me an opportunity to write with someone I deeply respect and have learned so much from.

8 1 Why This Conversation It doesn t take being part of the Christian faith for very long before tensions between older and younger generations become apparent. We don t see eye to eye on many things, whether it s about stylistic issues such as worship music or Sunday attire, or about doctrinal or ethical issues such as sexuality or social justice. Such tensions are to be expected as incumbent generations seek to safeguard the traditions and institutions they have painstakingly built up, while rising generations react against the status quo and push reforms. Such conflict can be particularly heightened in immigrant contexts, as the second generation strives to assimilate into the new surrounding culture while the parents generation struggles to conserve their heritage. As a result of these generational clashes, however, some younger Christians are finding church irrelevant and are leaving. Many of those who stay are increasingly frustrated and disillusioned by the track record of Christianity on a number of fronts. Older Christians still run most churches, denominations, and ministries today and are both upset and concerned by some 1

9 2 The Future of Our Faith things younger Christians say about many topics including sex, the Bible, social action, and church doctrine. God has entrusted us with a remarkable mission to be his children and representatives in a broken and hurting world. Generational clashes, while not the only fault line running through the church, detract from this good work and hamper our faithfulness. The world is changing and so is the church. Where are we headed? How can we all fit in together on this journey? How can we find better ways forward? We Need to Talk A few years ago, I (Ron) published an article in Relevant magazine expressing my appreciation for millennials while articulating four key questions I have for this rising generation. I heard that my article was widely read, but I wondered how my questions were being received. At the time the article was published, Ben was passing through Philadelphia (where I live), so I gave him a copy of the article and asked for his feedback. I (Ben) read Ron s article with interest while on the plane back from Philadelphia to my home in Chicago. He ended the article by inviting a dialogue with my generation. So, a few days later, I wrote back with my own set of questions questions for all of our generations to address together about key problems in the church that his generation is handing down to us. A conversation started, and the idea for this book was born. Our premise here is that there s a lot of talking and writing about each other s generation but much less talking and writing with each other. Intentional, charitable, and constructive dialogue is the way to build bridges between our generations and begin moving forward together. It s easier for each generation to be defensive of itself and critical of others. But the reality is

10 Why This Conversation 3 that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and we all get some things right and others wrong. There s a lot we need to learn, and we can t afford to give up on one another. Older generations are deeply concerned about retaining younger generations in church but have to decide how much to reach out, be open, and share leadership and control. Younger generations don t just need to be protected or contained they also need to be empowered and commissioned. Younger generations are known for reacting against the status quo; but instead of walking out in self-righteous anger or disaffection, they have to decide how much they re willing to humble themselves, value the good in their heritage, and find constructive ways to reform the bad. Raised in an often sheltered, neutered, and controlled faith, younger generations desire to be authentic and not shy away from hard questions and real struggles. They also need to respect those who have gone before them and realize that their generation too will make many mistakes. What This Book Is and What It Isn t First, this book is about discussing key issues facing the church today. It s not an exhaustive list of generational differences, however, and it s also not about debating preferences such as music styles or Bible translations. There s a place and time for those discussions, but they shouldn t be what defines us. Instead, we ve each picked four areas that we believe will inform American Christianity in the twenty-first century. In the first part of the book, I (Ron) have contributed four chapters focused, respectively, on evangelism, relativism, marriage, and homosexuality. Each of my chapters is followed by a response from Ben. In the second part of the book, I (Ben) have contributed

11 4 The Future of Our Faith four chapters focused, respectively, on discipleship, politics, unity, and God s creation. Each of these chapters is followed by a response from Ron. We ve written this introduction and the conclusion together. Each chapter also includes discussion questions contributed by Eric Norregaard, who is a good friend and writer/editor from the generation in between ours. Second, this is a dialogue, not a debate. We re writing from distinct generational contexts and perspectives we re almost half a century apart in age! While we may approach things differently, however, the point is not to disagree (we often don t) but to better understand each other so that we can find common ground and constructive ways to move forward together. Indeed, there s much that we agree on from each other s chapters, even if we don t specifically affirm or highlight each overlapping area in our responses. So anyone looking for heated debate will be disappointed. Third, we re writing primarily to Christians who care about the future of the church and are confused or frustrated by the tensions and differences between generations. This includes younger Christians who can be critical of how incumbent leaders have been running things and who are determined to avoid making the same mistakes. It also includes older Christians who are concerned that rising generations are too ungrateful and reactionary and are rejecting many of the very values that they were raised on. At the same time, however, we hope this discussion remains accessible even to those who don t identify as followers of Jesus. There is, after all, a lot of interest in how American Christianity may or may not be changing as new generations transition into leadership. Fourth, we re writing primarily from and to the American church. This is who we are and where we come from. The body of Christ is incredibly diverse even just in the United States and we make no claim to represent everyone. At the same time,

12 Why This Conversation 5 we pray that much of this dialogue will still be meaningful to our sisters and brothers from all around the world. Fifth, finally, while we can t claim to speak for our respective generations, we do speak from them. Both of us are deeply committed to the faith and have been heavily involved in the church for years (one of us for a few more years than the other!). And we both long to see a church united in Christ s love across all boundaries including generational divisions that faithfully proclaims and embodies the gospel of the kingdom of God. Our Starting Point The overarching message of this book is straightforward: there are growing intergenerational tensions in the family of God over what it means to be faithful today, and we need to find better ways to sort these things out. But this takes working together across our generations, and it starts with each of us being willing to sit down and have a conversation. Every generation has its strengths and weaknesses, its prophetic visions and cultural blind spots. We won t always agree on everything, but that doesn t mean we can t learn and grow together. Instead of just complaining about each other, what could it look like for us to talk with each other more? I (Ben) am grateful for the faith and leadership of those who have come before my generation. I m also deeply grateful for the many elders who graciously seek our input and welcome our influence. We stand on the shoulders of our parents and grandparents, and they ve done so much for us. At times we may react arrogantly against our heritage and the status quo or push too impatiently for change. I pray that through conversations such as this one, we will be able to better understand, value,

13 6 The Future of Our Faith and love each other, and that this will enable us all to hear God more clearly and move forward more faithfully together. I (Ron) consider this kind of conversation a very high privilege. That young people fifty or more years younger than I am consider it worthwhile to listen to my views is a gift I highly treasure. In an important way I am amazed that young people who communicate via tweets and selfies using their smartphones still want to dialogue with me, who at their age experienced radio and black-and-white television as the hot new means of communication. I do not take for granted that ongoing interest in dialogue. I think that interest must be earned and nurtured as seniors like me seek to listen respectfully to today s young Christians as carefully as we hope they will listen to us. In many respects, my part of this book represents a heartfelt thank you to young people ready for that kind of intergenerational dialogue.