In a recent interview, America Family Radio’s Jenna Ellis and Troy Miller (CEO and president of the National Religious Broadcasters) tried to peel away some of the layers of the onion. One issue was immediately obvious, and it’s been a drumbeat for decades now: The public schools no longer teach the Bible.
But Ellis and Miller noted problems within the church as well. All the classic arguments were touched on, from watered-down teaching, shallow preaching, privatized religiosity, obsession with big attendance numbers, to the dumbing down of the church as a whole to attract and retain unbelievers. They also pointed to what Miller termed “the CEO pastor,” whose business it is to keep attendance high and the vibes good along the lines of America’s white collar businesses. And what do we have to thank for this, with many seminaries pumping out graduates buying this model wholesale?
Let’s start with the church growth movement.
Ryan Burge can tell us more about where church attendance and membership are numerically, but I can tell you one thing: The American church has certainly grown in its biblical ignorance. And while we are not merely brains on sticks, the church is impoverished and ill-equipped when scriptural knowledge is lacking.
There was a time when Protestants knew this, and it showed in their reforms of how we order our lives, individually and corporately. Maybe it’s time we look into our past. While the Reformers certainly weren’t perfect, they did, in fact, take the steps necessary to form entire nations of biblically literate people.
St. Jude's Anglican Church
We are a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church. We have been worshiping together in the greater Richmond area for over a decade. We’d love to have you join us for Christian worship in the rich Anglican tradition.
