Data about theology tells a story that pastors and disciplers must keenly listen to. Not because it presents a grand unified theory about what is happening and what is to come, but because it reveals the stress fractures that are at play to which we must attend so that the dam doesn’t come crashing down.
New data from Ligonier and Lifeway Research reveals giant stress fractures in evangelicalism that are growing at an alarming rate. Most alarming is an ancient heresy damnable enough to make St. Nicholas’ hand glow red.1
An astounding 43% of evangelicals surveyed agreed with the following statement: Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God. That was up 13 points in a two year period!
At first, I was skeptical of the methodology of the survey and thought that perhaps people were confused about the term evangelical. After all, it has been conflated to an almost meaningless category over the past 10 years. But, after a closer look, the researchers are having people opt-in to the term evangelical based on agreement with the four tenets of evangelicalism defined by the National Association of Evangelicals.23
This means that the issue isn’t a confusion on what the term evangelical means, but rather a massive failure to understand the core tenets of Christian theology.
Our failure to catechize has resulted in an epidemic of people who believe that Jesus is their Savior but don’t believe that He is the eternal Son of God. Don’t worry though, 94% of them will agree that sex outside of marriage is a sin and 91% that abortion is a sin.4
I fear that in our efforts to simplify the message of Christianity to a get-out-of-hell-free card that comes with basic instructions about morality, we have created moralistic heretics who do not know their right hand from
…a left handed slap from Santa at the council of Nicea.5
This is the wake up call that we desperately need. For too long, we have failed to make disciples of Jesus who are biblically and theologically faithful. It is high time for a new reformation of discipleship.
We have preached the cheap grace that Bonhoeffer warned of6 and are now suffering the consequences. A massive, calculated turn around is needed if we are to recover.
A Path Forward
Getting there will not be easy. Depending upon your church, it’s likely that you will even see a decline in attendance and financial resources should you choose to get serious about discipleship. Calling people to a higher place will be met with resistance, but it is always worth it.
God has not called us to pastor churches who are full of people with paid off buildings and plenty of money in the bank. Yes, those things are nice. But, if they come at the expense of biblically and theologically faithful disciples, something is amiss.
It is high time we return to a deep discipleship with structured catechism and a church membership that has real meaning. Deep discipleship is a call to make disciples who are biblically faithful AND missionally zealous. That is not something that happens by chance. Likewise, meaningful church membership is a call to belong, be known, and to be open to correction — which is also not going to happen by chance.
I don’t have all the answers. I’m a young pastor who still has much to learn. But, I’m making a plan and doing the hard work to lead change in my congregation. I encourage you to do the same.
Here are some resources that may be helpful:
The theological survey I used with our church.
Trinitarian theology:
On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius
Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
Discipleship:
The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman
Deep Discipleship by J.T. English
Christian Thought and History:
The Spirit of Early Christian Thought by Robert Louis Wilken
The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider
** This article contains affiliate links that pay me a small commission if you buy something. Basically, this helps me buy more books.
Friday Fight Night. Nicholas vs. Arius. Nicea. 325.
Please know that I am glad evangelicals hold these things. It just can’t be all that we hold.
Odds are that he was right-handed, but I needed to make the joke work.
See Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship