Blasphemediocrity March 14, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Christian discipleship, Church Leadership, Congregational Life, Religion in the U.S., The United Methodist Church.Tags: Christian discipleship, Church Leadership
4 comments
blasphemy (noun) — irreverent or disrespectful words or actions concerning God or sacred things.
mediocrity (noun) — a state of poor or barely adequate quality; neither good nor bad.
blasphemediocrity (noun) — the disrespect of God and the sacred by accepting barely adequate and/or poor quality standards of spiritual belief and conduct.
Three emerging trends in the American cultural landscape call us to some serious reflection:
-
a growing number of spiritual seekers are engaging in serious, disciplined, and meaningful faith development apart from traditional, institutional church structures.
-
a fast-growing segment of long-time and deeply committed church members are leaving organized religion in disgust at its widespread apathy, selfishness, and complacency.
-
an ever-growing number of pastoral and laity church leaders — particularly those under fifty — are raising serious questions about the modern, Western definition of “church” and are attempting to change the egregiously self-serving consumerism of the late twentieth century church growth movement that resulted in an unrealistic love affair with the mega-church.
