Politics in the Pews: Anti-Trump
Activism Is Reviving Protestant
Churches—at a Cost
A push toward activism among liberal Christian
denominations is reshaping traditional worship and
splitting congregations
Ian Lovett May 4, 2018 10:51 a.m. ET
By Ian Lovett
Some people might think that social activism is limited to the Left-wing mainline denominations. That is the focus of this article. But the Church Growth Movement moved toward social activism, perhaps because its message of entertainment and success was too shallow, even for them.
The article tries to paint activism as reviving congregations, but that is definitely not true. The main example we all know is the experience of ELCA deliberately causing division its entire history and reaping the just rewards of its polarizing tactics. Mark Hanson was not enough. Liz Eaton had to replace him - a white man! - and really enforce the quotas.
One of my friends from school and our local Disciples of Christ congregation became an ELCA pastor. She took over a large congregation that was ripped apart by "the issue." I studied the church website and saw the evidence in the announcements. She resigned because she could not take the tension.
The buzz from one fad gets old, so they march onto a new battlefield. The WSJ article describes an Episcopal congregation removing the George Washington and Robert E. Lee plaques from their church because Washington owned slaves and Lee fought for the South. Thirty people left immediately.
Who knows what the next social justice fad may be.
 |
| Norma A. Boeckler |
