Movements that change the world

A few muddled thoughts in response to Howard Snyder’s Ten Major Trends written almost twenty years ago.

1. From regional churches to world Church.
He’s right. Christianity has become a global faith. It was once predominantly white and Western. According to Phillip Jenkins by 2050 five out of six Christians on the planet will be from the global “South” – African, Asian or Latino.

2. From scattered growth to broad revival.
Howard’s point here was, “Now that the world has become one global, interconnected communications network, the unprecedented Christian growth worldwide is bound to have an impact in the traditionally Christian lands of North America and Europe.”

Unfortunately, we’re still a long way off seeing the dynamism and growth of the church replicated in the “traditionally Christian lands”. If the problem is consumerism, God may have to take away our toys before we’ll see significant revival in the developed world. Ouch.

3. From Communist China to Christian China.
The vitality and growth of the church in China is unprecedented in history. Having just returned from the region I agree, “We have yet to discover what the impact will be of a new and dynamic church routed in one of the oldest and culturally richest societies on earth.”

4. From institutional tradition to kingdom theology.
Institutional tradition is the law of sin and death at work in the Church. The reality is it will always be with us. But God is constantly renewing his Church by the Word, the Spirit and a fresh vision of the Kingdom. That’s been the story of the last twenty years. It will be the story of next twenty.

5. From clergy/laity to community of ministers.
The same dialectic is at work here also. The tendency to “clericalism” and the emergence of lay led renewal movements is a recurring theme of church history.

6. From male leadership to male-female partnership.
Strangely women are prominent in leadership roles at the beginning and end of the movement lifecycle. In the pioneering phase it’s all hands on deck regardless of gender or social standing. In the decline and death phase men are less attracted to leadership roles in an institution that has loss status.

7. From secularization to religious relativism.
It’s questionable whether “secularization” was ever a reality outside of the wishful thinking of certain academic and theological circles. The problem is not that people don’t believe. It’s that they will believe anything.

8. From nuclear family to family diversity.
The family continues to be under threat and we’ll continue to pay the price – in the Church and in society.

9. From church/state separation to Christian political activism.
This is and will be a reality. I’m ambivalent. Engagement is responsibility. It’s not my passion. I’m old enough be to disillusioned by both the “Christian Right” and the “Christian Left”. I think I have Anabaptist tendencies.

10. From safe planet to threatened planet.
No argument here.

Let’s keep this discussion alive a little longer. Drop in on the comments section if you have something to say.

What major tends will impact the Church in the next twenty years?