mere basic simple Christianity

For the past 40 years, Christians have been doing alot of hand-wringing.  These decades have seen an increasing decline in outward Christian expression and influence in Western Culture.  In the past decade we've been talking about the deconstruction of personal faith, the un-churching of America, and the rise of the "nones' who profess no faith.  We've seen the proliferation of book titles such as The Great De-Churching, Pagan America, and Exvangelical.

With our hand-wringing has come the tinkering.  There was the church growth movement, seeking to orient the church towards non-believers, creating a "seeker-friendly" posture.  There was the leadership development movement, equipping church leaders with timely strategies for engaging contemporary culture.  And there was the small group movement, seeking to grow the church by becoming smaller in face-to-face relationships.  Whereas all of these movements have been helpful in many cases, some expressions have betrayed an underlayment of fear of an ultimate failure of The Faith.

Meanwhile, across the rest of the world, Christianity continues to grow confidently.  Individuals, people, and cultures worldwide are being transformed by The Presence and Power of The Lord Jesus Christ.  Appearances to the contrary, It seems as if "mere Christianity", "basic Christianity" or being "simply Christian" still hold the same sway in human life and history that The Faith always had.  Perhaps a recovery of the timeless elements of our life and ministry in Christ is what is needed rather than one more new movement in the kaleidoscopic shifts underway in our culture.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence [in Christ], which has a great reward (Hebrews 10:35).