A Kinder, Gentler Christianity

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Time Praises 'Kinder and Gentler' Christianity
By Melissa Afable
Newsbusters
06/03/2010

Young evangelicals seem to be cut from a different cloth than their forbearers, and that's got the secular media praising the Lord.

In "Young Evangelicals: Expanding Their Mission," Time contributor Amy Sullivan celebrated that the younger generation of evangelical Christians represent a "kinder and gentler" Christianity that defies the "fire-and-brimestone conservatism" associated with the older generation of evangelicals.

Sullivan reported that the applications to secular organizations like Teach for America have tripled among Christian universities, a much faster increase than from secular universities. "Internal surveys showed that more than half of incoming corps members said they were motivated by their faith to join Teach for America," Sullivan pointed out.

But Sullivan's piece on Teach for America turned into a critique of traditional evangelical leaders.

She said younger Christian's emphasis on caring for the less fortunate represents a "remarkable cultural shift" for the movement. This "remarkable shift" involves the increase in younger evangelicals' activity in "nonideological causes" like fighting against sex-trafficking and solving poverty relief.

Young evangelicals no longer rely on churches and private charities to do good deeds, Sullivan said. Unlike their predecessors, they are open to partnering religious organizations with the government to accomplish what the church has traditionally viewed as missions work.

While their parents' exposure to third-world poverty was mainly limited to slideshows from visiting missionaries, Sullivan described younger evangelicals' exposure as "more direct and sustained," ranging from downloaded videos about the Invisible Children movement to short-term summer missions trips.

Sullivan cited a Public Religion Research poll from OctOBer 2008 which showed that young evangelicals are less opposed to the expansion of social services than older generations. This generational gap difference also extends to positions on same-sex marriage and military strength.

Young evangelicals favor expanding government's role in providing social services and abandoning traditional social policies, but Sullivan described them as "nonideological," "socially-conscious, cause-focused and controversy-averse." In fact, "liberal" seemed to be the only label Sullivan refused to apply, instead insisting that young evangelicals still remain "fairly conservative."

Sullivan quoted Don Miller, Christian author of "Blue Like Jazz," who said that using labels takes away from their true identity. "We're not like Pat ROBertson. We're not like Republicans. We're not like our parents." Miller certainly isn't like Republicans. As Sullivan noted, he's a registered Democrat who campaigned for OBama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

[John81]

No wonder the worldly, liberal media love them! For the most part they are taking up the worldly, liberal means of doing things.

Let's see, yoke with ungodly government to do what Scripture commands we Christians are to do individually and corporately. Take up "social activism" as a "holy cause" unto itself without mention of Christ as the one and only means of salvation.

And what a shock to discover Don Miller is a registered Democrat (he's yoked to a Party which believes in murdering babies and full, open acceptance of homosexuality) and he voted for one who supports this and worse.

Give me the old time conservative fire and brimstone Christians!

[anime4christ]

I agree John, but I think there needs to be a correct blend. We should preach the gospel in all that it is without sugar-coating it, but we should also live up to it. On the individual level, a lot of these things we are ought to do and we have neglected them. The key is not to do them out of duty though, but because Christ living within us motivates us to. That way we can also explain why we do these things with joy to unbelievers. In summary, our words, deeds, thoughts, etc. must all radiate with the gospel, without lifting one aspect over another.

The biggest prOBlem I find with these young evangelicals is although their heart for the unfortunate is technically in the right place, they are not rooted in the truth and, as a result, make the error of teaming up with unbelievers and the government to carry out the work of believers.

Edited June 6, 2010 by anime4christ

[John81]

I agree John, but I think there needs to be a correct blend. We should preach the gospel in all that it is without sugar-coating it, but we should also live up to it. On the individual level, a lot of these things we are ought to do and we have neglected them. The key is not to do them out of duty though, but because Christ living within us motivates us to. That way we can also explain why we do these things with joy to unbelievers. In summary, our words, deeds, thoughts, etc. must all radiate with the gospel, without lifting one aspect over another.

The biggest prOBlem I find with these young evangelicals is although their heart for the unfortunate is technically in the right place, they are not rooted in the truth and, as a result, make the error of teaming up with unbelievers and the government to carry out the work of believers.

I absolutely agree! Doing something out of duty would be doing so in our own strength. Our lives should reflect Christ in us, not us trying to imitate Christ in our very limited power.

[Anon]

I think its pretty sad that most people are either harsh and judgemental and screaming from the pulpit (not christ like) or mushy, lovey dovey, and emotional (again not Christ like).

Christ preached the truth in love. Look at how he dealt with the woman in the well...or even his own disciples...he did not yell and scream at them...he would more kinda shake his head and say "How long will you not have faith" and then he would lovingly do what they didn't deserve. He didn't wink at sin, he didn't condone it...but at the same time he was FULL of love and good deeds.

Too many IFBs do not have "love and good deeds" and of course the neoevangelicals don't care too much about sin....the perfect Christian would be a balance of the two. Someone with the desire to live a holy life for God BUT who loves others too much to be harsh with them, or criticize them...but to help them and love them.

[John81]

I think its pretty sad that most people are either harsh and judgemental and screaming from the pulpit (not christ like) or mushy, lovey dovey, and emotional (again not Christ like).

Christ preached the truth in love. Look at how he dealt with the woman in the well...or even his own disciples...he did not yell and scream at them...he would more kinda shake his head and say "How long will you not have faith" and then he would lovingly do what they didn't deserve. He didn't wink at sin, he didn't condone it...but at the same time he was FULL of love and good deeds.

Too many IFBs do not have "love and good deeds" and of course the neoevangelicals don't care too much about sin....the perfect Christian would be a balance of the two. Someone with the desire to live a holy life for God BUT who loves others too much to be harsh with them, or criticize them...but to help them and love them.

That's our pastor! I'm not saying he's perfect, but I've never heard him yell and scream or be harsh. He's solid on the Word and preaches it all, including the stuff about sin, including those sins some don't like to discuss, but he preaches on it in a manner to lead someone to note their need in that area and how they can meet that need biblically.

[JerryNumbers]

If the only thing coming from the pulpit is love, them the pastor has failed.

[John81]

If the only thing coming from the pulpit is love, them the pastor has failed.

So true. Our God is a balanced God. He's both a God of love and a God of justice, a God of mercy and a God of wrath.

I'm fixin' to go to church where our pastor is kind and gentle even while preaching the truth of sin and hell and the only way to be free from both!

[anime4christ]

If the only thing coming from the pulpit is love, them the pastor has failed.

Depends on what you mean by the word love. I like how Mark Driscoll says "I love you, that's why I yell at you."

[HappyChristian]

I think its pretty sad that most people are either harsh and judgemental and screaming from the pulpit (not christ like) or mushy, lovey dovey, and emotional (again not Christ like).

Christ preached the truth in love. Look at how he dealt with the woman in the well...or even his own disciples...he did not yell and scream at them...he would more kinda shake his head and say "How long will you not have faith" and then he would lovingly do what they didn't deserve. He didn't wink at sin, he didn't condone it...but at the same time he was FULL of love and good deeds.

Too many IFBs do not have "love and good deeds" and of course the neoevangelicals don't care too much about sin....the perfect Christian would be a balance of the two. Someone with the desire to live a holy life for God BUT who loves others too much to be harsh with them, or criticize them...but to help them and love them.

[JerryNumbers]

The thing is, there be many out there that think of God as only love, and that He only loves, and will not, would never, send anyone to hell.

Of course there be many pastors and preachers behind pulpits that only preach that God is love, yet he is a God of judgment, a God that will hand out punishment.

Ps 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And of course its true, God is angry at the wicked.

I asked out members once, do you want to hear prosperity and feel good messages that are so prevalent, they said no, we want the truth.

Sad, some think that anything but a prosperity and feel good message of love is false teachings, and would not set in a church listening to a preacher pastor proclaiming the actually Bible truths.

Sadly even the feel good and prosperity messages are creeping into the very conservative churches.

One day there will be many who will find out just how dreadful it is to fall into the hands of an angry God who at one time would have showed them mercy, grace, and love, yet they refused it in order to follow a lie.

[John81]

A great many also have a wrong idea of what love is and therefore have the wrong idea of what is meant by "God is love".

Rather than the love Scripture speaks of, too many view this love as being of a weak, fluffy, permissive sort. From this they get the idea God loves me so much...he wouldn't send me to hell...he would want me to do whatever makes me happy...he wouldn't like those pastors who preach about the "mean" parts of the Bible...they view God as a too soft-hearted grandpa who just wants to spoil people and let them have their way.

[anime4christ]

A great many also have a wrong idea of what love is and therefore have the wrong idea of what is meant by "God is love".

Rather than the love Scripture speaks of, too many view this love as being of a weak, fluffy, permissive sort. From this they get the idea God loves me so much...he wouldn't send me to hell...he would want me to do whatever makes me happy...he wouldn't like those pastors who preach about the "mean" parts of the Bible...they view God as a too soft-hearted grandpa who just wants to spoil people and let them have their way.

Exactly. True love cares about one's eternal destiny. That means that God loves us enough to take from us what is most dear if we place it higher than Him, to break us when we are stubborn, so that we would cry out to Him. Now, just tell that to someone after giving him that cheesy, smiley "God loves you" message to clarify what you mean and see if they smile back at you.

[John81]

Exactly. True love cares about one's eternal destiny. That means that God loves us enough to take from us what is most dear if we place it higher than Him, to break us when we are stubborn, so that we would cry out to Him. Now, just tell that to someone after giving him that cheesy, smiley "God loves you" message to clarify what you mean and see if they smile back at you.

That's right. Scripture says that just as the man who loves his son chastens him for his own good, so God chastens those He loves for their own good.

Of course today spanking is viewed by many as unloving and cruel. Even many other forms of lesser punishment are viewed like that today. So, by extention, if it's unloving for a man to punish their child it's viewed as unloving if God were to do so. Therefore, they reason with their limited understanding, if God is love, he must be all mushy goody-goody and would never think of punishing sin or sinners and certainly wouldn't have a hell or cast anyone into such.