The Evangelical Road Ahead

Conservative Christians, called Evangelicals nowdays, are a self-conscious lot. We seem to be so new, so fresh and so desirous for recognition that we constantly write books, papers and articles about ourselves. We have lists of the biggest churches, the most popular pastors, the biggest church building and the largest crowd to hear the gospel.

Wow! we do like to brag and act important. Christianity Today recently published a series about what Evangelicals should be doing to change the world over the next 50 years. Now even CT has become Pentecostal by dent of their searching for a big prophesy about the future. In the past, Evangelicals would have been satisfied with a chart showing when Jesus will return. Now they are thinking He is not coming back at least for 50 years. See their latest story at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/

Looking into the future is risky at best. Who would have guessed in 1945 at the end of WWII that the favorite European airline serving Israel would be the successor to the Nazi's Luftwaffe?

In my high school days of 1956 it was predicted that every female in America was sure to have a job in the year of 2000. The task? Pulling and connecting telephone wires at switchboards for AT&T! Nobody predicted the computer revolution that eliminated 100% of those jobs.

Back in the Seventies gloom and doom prophets saw world starvation and a population of millions of unfed people. The cause was thought to be a lack of food and a blooming population. Here we are just forty years later with a glut of food and a lack of people in Europe. The greatest crisis in the west is a LACK of POPULATION!

But Evangelicals are trying to predict what the future holds for us and how we can change the world. Not only have they come up with a ridiculous proposal, the suggestions are not really about the guts and backbone of Evangelical life, but focus on BIG ORGANIZATIONS like World Vision, Habitat, the Federal Government, etc. (I like and support WV but it is not the hope of the world.)

The key to change is and always has been the local Church and the small Para-church groups that touch lives in large and small ways. Perhaps the worst thing ever to happen to Christianity was the conversion of Constantine and his melding of the church and state. Prior to that Christians had touched the world order by touching individuals and families. Now it would be political power.

Research confirms what I am saying. The average church in Philadelphia contributes almost $200,000.00 annually to their communities in aid, assistance, meals, counseling, housing, etc. Their average size is 80 to 100 persons. But they penetrate the neighborhoods and they know the needs of people. This is key to long term changes in society and family life.

Life Way Ministries comes alongside such churches and equips them to be more effective in their works of mercy. One thing that CT got correct was their statement that Evangelicals need to get educated so they can be better prepared to influence people and institutions. I agree.

But key to everything is the gospel message. People need to know the Lord and then their changed lives will be life changers. It is the GOOD NEWS!