The use of postmil as a marker of personal identity does seem to support your argument.
There is a movement of younger evangelicals toward reformed and orthodox churches but I don’t believe it is simply a pursuit of the novel or new. Certainly some are drawn to the more combative and political stance of Doug Wilson, Joel Webbon, and the like. I think it is deeper than that. Among many reformed church members, there is a large scale rejection of the secular and mainstream evangelical world. Most CREC churches are filled with large families with young children - the majority of which will be homeschooled or in a Classical Christian school. Many will be aspiring homesteaders. The church community itself is unique and strange relative to the mainstream and it is not just aesthetics.
Agree. The Reformed movement is growing because it is counter cultural. People are sick of the Kardashians and drag queens being shoved in their faces. Expression's of Christian identity in appearance and lifestyle isn’t a so much a fad as it is a reaction to what Andrew Isker calls Trashworld. People want a Christianity that isn’t weak and wobbly. Jehu is a great role model.
I agree that normies are seeking a way to revolt against Trashworld but I'm worried that they are attracted to and see reformed Christianity more as a tool or weapon against Trashworld and not understanding or experiencing God's grace. Praise God that He can and will use our misplaced motivations for His purposes.
“Many Reformed churches are proud that the mainstream finds them weird. To them, it’s proof that they are faithful, but it also feeds into their cooler-than-you hipster mindset.”
Well said, appreciate these thoughts. Ironically, in this way Reformed churches have at times most reminded me of the years I spent in an IFB church as a kid. Your words describe the difficulty I’ve had reconciling my alignment with reformed theology and the weirdness/discomfort that has felt strangely familiar to me environmentally.
Thank you for this humbling and spot-on article. This is a struggle for me, working in the teaching ministry of a small, reformed church.
I have always been disappointed in the way some seminaries tell students that the intellectual sophistication of preaching and teaching should not exceed an 8th grade level of education. On the other hand, I have found that when small groups I have taught in my church stray very far into understanding theology, they quickly lose participation.
R.C. Sproul once said that we are to have a child-like faith, not a childish one. I believe that is true, but here's a tip from experience - don't use that quote if people tell you that you are getting too cerebral in your teaching.
The use of postmil as a marker of personal identity does seem to support your argument.
There is a movement of younger evangelicals toward reformed and orthodox churches but I don’t believe it is simply a pursuit of the novel or new. Certainly some are drawn to the more combative and political stance of Doug Wilson, Joel Webbon, and the like. I think it is deeper than that. Among many reformed church members, there is a large scale rejection of the secular and mainstream evangelical world. Most CREC churches are filled with large families with young children - the majority of which will be homeschooled or in a Classical Christian school. Many will be aspiring homesteaders. The church community itself is unique and strange relative to the mainstream and it is not just aesthetics.
Agree. The Reformed movement is growing because it is counter cultural. People are sick of the Kardashians and drag queens being shoved in their faces. Expression's of Christian identity in appearance and lifestyle isn’t a so much a fad as it is a reaction to what Andrew Isker calls Trashworld. People want a Christianity that isn’t weak and wobbly. Jehu is a great role model.
I agree that normies are seeking a way to revolt against Trashworld but I'm worried that they are attracted to and see reformed Christianity more as a tool or weapon against Trashworld and not understanding or experiencing God's grace. Praise God that He can and will use our misplaced motivations for His purposes.
“Many Reformed churches are proud that the mainstream finds them weird. To them, it’s proof that they are faithful, but it also feeds into their cooler-than-you hipster mindset.”
Well said, appreciate these thoughts. Ironically, in this way Reformed churches have at times most reminded me of the years I spent in an IFB church as a kid. Your words describe the difficulty I’ve had reconciling my alignment with reformed theology and the weirdness/discomfort that has felt strangely familiar to me environmentally.
As a former IFB kid myself, I concur with this statement
Thank you for this humbling and spot-on article. This is a struggle for me, working in the teaching ministry of a small, reformed church.
I have always been disappointed in the way some seminaries tell students that the intellectual sophistication of preaching and teaching should not exceed an 8th grade level of education. On the other hand, I have found that when small groups I have taught in my church stray very far into understanding theology, they quickly lose participation.
R.C. Sproul once said that we are to have a child-like faith, not a childish one. I believe that is true, but here's a tip from experience - don't use that quote if people tell you that you are getting too cerebral in your teaching.