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Something Is Stirring in Christian America, and It’s Making Me Nervous (David French, NYT)
This is a gifted article. I commend this thoughtful opinion for your consideration.Opinion | Something Is Stirring in Christian America, and It’s Making Me Nervous
Don’t mistake a revolution for a revival.
"Despite what you may have heard about the renewal of interest in religion in America, we are not experiencing a true revival, at least not yet. Instead, America is closer to a religious revolution, and the difference between revolution and revival is immensely important for the health of our country — and of the Christian church in America.
At this point it’s almost beyond debate that something important is stirring in American religion. There is too much data — and too many anecdotes — to ignore. The steady decline of Christianity in America seems to have slowed, perhaps even paused. There’s evidence that Gen Z men in particular are returning to church and younger generations of Americans are now attending church slightly more regularly than older generations."
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"There is darkness right alongside the light. Christians stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Christians have believed and applauded dark prophecies that compare Donald Trump to Jehu, a murderous Old Testament king who commanded the slaughter of the previous queen, Jezebel, and had the severed heads of the previous king’s sons brought to him in baskets.
Incredibly, Christians are attacking what they call the “sin of empathy,” warning fellow believers against identifying too much with, say, illegal immigrants, gay people or women who seek abortions. Empathy, in this formulation, can block moral and theological clarity. What’s wrong is wrong, and too much empathy will cloud your soul."
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"Time after time in scripture, revival and renewal begins with repentance. In the Book of Acts, when Peter spoke to a crowd in Jerusalem about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, listeners were “cut to the heart” and cried out to Peter and the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
In the Old Testament, when a king of ancient Judah, Josiah, heard the book of the law for the first time, “he tore his robes” in grief. When Jonah called on the people of ancient Nineveh to repent, scripture records that the people of the city declared a fast and put on sackcloth, a sign of mourning for their sin.
In other words, revival begins with the people proclaiming, by word and deed, “I have sinned.”
MAGA Christianity has a different message. It looks at American culture and declares, “You have sinned.”
And it doesn’t stop there. It also says, “We will defeat you.” In its most extreme forms, it also says, “We will rule over you.” That’s not revival; it’s revolution, a religious revolution that seeks to overthrow one political order and replace it with another — one that has echoes of the religious kingdoms of ages past.
And don’t be fooled when these revolutionaries call themselves “conservative.” All too many conservative Christians are actually quite proudly radical. They want to demolish the existing order, including America’s commitment to pluralism and individual liberty, and put their version of Christianity at the center of American political life.
A revolution can look like a revival, at least for a time. A revolution can fill stadiums. A revolution can even attract converts — converts to the revolutionary cause, if not the Christian faith. A revolution can make you feel alive with purpose, and when the revolution has religious elements, it can flood you with the burning conviction that you are doing God’s will.
Look closer, however, and you can see that religious revolution is usually antithetical to religious revival. Yes, there are people who enter the church because of politics and then find their way to genuine Christianity, but the revolution is a roadblock to genuine Christian growth."
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We should not forget that the Inquisition, the Crusades and the Salem Witch Trials were all born of religious zeal. Nor should we confuse genuine Christian spirit with political expediency.