Comments on: Mainline or the Ala Carte Line? http://www.dcyoungadults.org/featured/mainline-or-the-ala-carte-line/ Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:38:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: James http://www.dcyoungadults.org/featured/mainline-or-the-ala-carte-line/comment-page-1/#comment-35 James Sat, 09 May 2009 02:53:16 +0000 http://www.dcyoungadults.org/?p=344#comment-35 She makes some interesting points. I guess what I would say is that my main concern is not that the Lutheran Church in particular is in decline, but that many people are not even going in the a la carte line anymore and instead are just eating nothing. If I saw my friends at college experimenting at different churches in different weeks, I would be THRILLED. Yes, I am a committed Lutheran, but that's not the point; it's that the Good News gets preached from whomever possible. If we could trade getting rid of the ELCA for doubling the amount of believers in the world, I would do it in a second. But I see the decline (in attendance) of mainline churches and the decline in participation in institutionalized religion as inextricably linked. We live in a more complex world than the 19th century, and some of the truths that science and growing awareness of other cultures have unearthed demand theological flexibility. It's not that I have a huge problem with fundamentalism (although I certainly disagree with parts of it); it's that I can't even begin to imagine most of the people I know being comfortable in a church that advocates a fundamentalist theology--one that considers evolution heresy and allows itself to be defined by its zealous rejection of certain lifestyle practices. The main thing that we need is for our message to survive, even as our congregations may shrink. Anyway, just my two cents. It was great to see you tonight, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning. She makes some interesting points. I guess what I would say is that my main concern is not that the Lutheran Church in particular is in decline, but that many people are not even going in the a la carte line anymore and instead are just eating nothing. If I saw my friends at college experimenting at different churches in different weeks, I would be THRILLED. Yes, I am a committed Lutheran, but that’s not the point; it’s that the Good News gets preached from whomever possible. If we could trade getting rid of the ELCA for doubling the amount of believers in the world, I would do it in a second.

But I see the decline (in attendance) of mainline churches and the decline in participation in institutionalized religion as inextricably linked. We live in a more complex world than the 19th century, and some of the truths that science and growing awareness of other cultures have unearthed demand theological flexibility. It’s not that I have a huge problem with fundamentalism (although I certainly disagree with parts of it); it’s that I can’t even begin to imagine most of the people I know being comfortable in a church that advocates a fundamentalist theology–one that considers evolution heresy and allows itself to be defined by its zealous rejection of certain lifestyle practices. The main thing that we need is for our message to survive, even as our congregations may shrink.

Anyway, just my two cents. It was great to see you tonight, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

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