Letter from America
Holidays and holy days
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Sep 2009
Another holiday season is coming to an end as I write and I wonder ‘What is the point of it all?’
If I remember rightly from my early modern history at Cambridge, summer holidays (as a distinct and expected season of rest for a large majority of the population) is a fairly recent invention.
Letter from America
Smells and bells
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Dec 2009
The current story of Pope Benedict inviting Anglicans to Rome (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125615995448599769.html?mod=article-outset-box) is no doubt covered elsewhere, but it has a particular ring within the context of the US.
In certain circles of American evangelicalism, being more high churchy, if not downright sacramental, has become a little bit attractive. I am told that for every one evangelical who moves to Rome, three move from Rome to evangelicalism, so it’s not as if we have a major issue, but nonetheless it does make you scratch your head. Coming recently from a part of America (New England) where the Roman Catholic churches are struggling after the disaster of the priest child abuse cases, it is — let us say — downright astonishing to find a good ol’ Bible bashing evangelical getting all funky about candles, bells, and men in dresses (I mean ‘cassocks’, excuse me, brethren).
Letter from America
Whole city - not just inner city
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Nov 2009
Every Saturday millions of Americans watch their little tykes play soccer, little league baseball, or the equivalent.
The suburban parks are full of mini-vans, the parents shout and cheer each tiny kick or hit, holding expensive name brand lattés in their hands. Is this wicked? What does the gospel have to say to such folk? Pack up and go to the inner city? Or is there something redeemable about living ‘in the world but not of the world’ in the suburb land of the city (and not just the inner city).
Letter from America
The good, the bad and the ugly
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Oct 2009
A movie that few men of my generation have not seen at least once, if not multiple times, Clint Eastwood’s Spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly makes a fitting summary of the conclusions reached by a stellar panel at Southern Theological Seminary.
There’s a link to the hour-long discussion at Justin Taylor’s http://theologica.blogspot.com/ posted on Friday September 4 2009.
Letter from America
Can you 'Twitter' the gospel?
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Jul 2009
Twitter is, as it self-defines, ‘a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?’ As a web page resource it appears to be becoming increasingly popular for fast paced interaction.
Recently (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=81195), pastor Rob Bell was asked to ‘Twitter’ the gospel. A Twitter post has to be 140 characters or less, so the challenge is not incommensurate to the challenge to summarise the gospel very briefly. It gets at the issue: what is the gospel at its heart? If you had to leave out everything but 140 characters what would you say? No doubt the challenge to Twitter the gospel also gets at the difficulty of offering the gospel (preaching the gospel) in an appealing way in such short compass. Is that possible? Can you actually summarise the essential elements of the biblical gospel in just a few short sentences? What would you write?
Letter from America
The Gospel Coalition - an interview
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Jun 2009
Josh Moody talks to Ben Peays
JM: Ben, tell us briefly what the original vision was behind The Gospel Coalition (TGC)?
BP: The vision for TGC came during a lunch in Manhattan between Don Carson and Tim Keller. They discussed the questions, ‘What would it take to recover, or rejuvenate, the centre of confessional, Reformed evangelicalism?’ and ‘What could be done to stop the endless drift of evangelicalism?’ The last couple of decades had seen the erosion of the gospel in many churches. They decided to initially call together 40 pastors, from a broad group of denominations, generations and racial groups. These were all people committed to the ministry of the word. From here they began to think and pray about what could be done. That was in 2005.
Letter from America
Fighting the previous battle?
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 May 2009
Military theorists will often espouse that the tendency of all armies is to be prepared to fight the last battle. Because it takes time for large institutions to change, because humans typically respond to experience, there is an inertia towards preparedness for yesterday’s battles. The classic example of this is the French army’s readiness to fight a World War 1 style of battle on the eve of World War 2.
Well, new data from the American Religious Identification Survey (March 2009) shows, it claims, that ‘the challenge to Christianity in the US does not come from other religions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organised religion’. If that is true, and it seems to have some purchase, then what we need as a church is a way of doing church that answers that question about organised religion. Instead, of course, what we find is a highly organised mega or traditional church that is geared to answer the question of felt needs through a multitude of programmes. We have an army ready to fight World War 1 on the eve of World War 2.
Letter from America
The tipping point
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Apr 2009
Various trends within evangelicalism, and the surrounding culture, seem to be combining to present, if not the perfect storm, at least a tipping point where things could either move forward in exciting new ways or backwards alarmingly.
David Olson, the director of the American Church Research Project, has come out with a new book called The American Church in Crisis. In this book he catalogues the gradual decline in church attendance in America, and predicts that by 2050 there will be around 10% of the population in church. You can find an interview of Olson at http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/28/study-finds-attendance-at-churches-still-falling/living/ In a slightly different take on the same issue, the Southern Baptist pastor Bob Pearle has written The Vanishing Church. He writes that the biblical church in America is being replaced with ‘Wal-Mart’ churches which are geared towards providing what their consumers want. There’s a discussion of this book at http://www.star-telegram.com/religion/story/1230235.html
Letter from America
Niche Christianity
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Mar 2009
I don’t know whether it is conscious or not (and I trust not), but, in my observation, more and more of the discussion in Christian circles is generated by a concern to establish, and then develop, a market niche.
First, you have had a spate of books which are either manoeuvering for religious market share or debating theological angels on a pinhead. I don’t propose to list the titles, but those of us who keep track of such things can nod in agreement now at the numerous books of that form, as well, of course, as the many wonderful books being produced alongside. Then you have the ever-growing Christian conference season. Perhaps it is less pernicious in England, but on this side of the Atlantic while there are worthy conferences, and probably a need for more of that ilk, on the other hand you only have to sneeze to give birth to another conference which is pushing a particular niche brand of Christianity.
The Narnia Code
The Rev. Dr. Michael Ward is an Anglican minister and the author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis. It was made into a BBC documentary called The Narnia Code, broadcast on BBC1 on April 16 and repeated on BBC4 in May. He spoke to EN.
EN: Explain simply your thesis.
MW: In a nutshell: Narnia is based on the seven heavens. Now for the longer answer!
Letter from America
When everyone does as they see fit
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Feb 2009
A new Barna poll (January 12 2009) claims to show that most American Christians are adopting a pick and mix attitude towards Christianity and (indeed) other faiths.1
In itself, such a claim might not appear particularly surprising. It is certainly part of a long observed trend from objective truth to subjective interpretation, and from acceptance of authority to individual choice of belief.
Letter from America
ItÕs not (just) the economy, stupid!
Josh Moody
Date posted: 1 Jan 2009
Everyone is talking about it. Endless chat shows. NPR (National Public Radio), CNN, NBC, Fox – you name it, they’re talking about it.
The economy is having a little teeny-weeny problem right now. Same in the UK, I hear. Same just about everywhere. People are comparing it to the Great Depression (thankfully no one’s claiming it’s going to be as bad yet). People are coming up with plans and building projects. Newsweek is saying it’s worse than we think,1 The Washington Post reviews books that point the blame at the Government,2 CNN discusses our emotions and how they affect the economy.3