I still am surprised that I never seem to see suggestions for how to address the "no religion" crowd. "How to Try and Evangelize Atomized Suburbanites" is an article I would love to read if anyone wrote it. I've talked to different pastors about it and the usual response is something like, "Well, they'll come when the Holy Spirit moves them to."
Anyway I do take heart from this article. I've been aware of the demographic transition, but never thought of it as the chief reason for our membership decline; I thought of the "rise of the nones" as the main culprit. In general I try to avoid explanations that say, "Well, it's not our fault!" But this is, at least, a kind of a balm for those of us that feel like we're really trying our best, but not making headway.
I have seen studies that suggest that a majority of the nones have a high regard for religion and our not at all antagonistic. So unless your dealing with a hard core atheist apologist the answer is befriend and invite. They will quite likely accept your invitation to church. As far as the atheist goes they may not respond to your invitation but even atheists need friends.
Great use of AI. I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, but was intrigued by the transcript. On first read, I didn’t care for it, probably biased by the title and subtitle. But then I read it backward, point by point, looking for points of disagreement, and couldn’t find any. As far as it goes, this is quite good. Now is the time to recapture a truly Lutheran identity in doctrine, practice, and life. I also appreciate the idea that church, home and school (the absence of the Oxford comma is intentional) form a strong alliance within the Lutheran ethos. We could do so much better. I’m not sure I can be content with a strategy of “taking care of our own” and leaving evangelistic outreach to the unbaptized to others (“you catch ‘em, we clean ‘em).
Oh, I'm a strict adherent to the Oxford comma, even in text messages. However, in this case, the comma was omitted to accentuate the hendiadys of home and school. I view "school" as more a part of the ordo domesticus than the ordo ecclesiasticus.
Too often prayer practices are dismissed as pietism. An attempt to live a life of prayer seen as an attempt at self-justification. Odd questions as to why one needs a prayer life when Jesus paid it all. It's like asking why we need to breath if Jesus died for us. As far as demographic decline we need to send a delegation to Douglas Wilson's reformed group in Idaho to study what they are doing. They seem to have solved that problem.
I wholeheartedly agree that virtually any discussion of piety tends to be taken as pietism in our circles. This is especially so in the life of daily prayer. Part of the problem is that we teach the "six chief parts" of the catechism and neglect the last two parts, namely the table of Christian responsibilities in the three temporal estates and daily prayer.
Luther would be very disappointed with us Lutherans. In the Large Catechism he exhorted to daily meditation on the Catechism. In his letter to his barber Peter he even taught us how. And we dismiss this as pietism and self-justification.
I still am surprised that I never seem to see suggestions for how to address the "no religion" crowd. "How to Try and Evangelize Atomized Suburbanites" is an article I would love to read if anyone wrote it. I've talked to different pastors about it and the usual response is something like, "Well, they'll come when the Holy Spirit moves them to."
Anyway I do take heart from this article. I've been aware of the demographic transition, but never thought of it as the chief reason for our membership decline; I thought of the "rise of the nones" as the main culprit. In general I try to avoid explanations that say, "Well, it's not our fault!" But this is, at least, a kind of a balm for those of us that feel like we're really trying our best, but not making headway.
I have seen studies that suggest that a majority of the nones have a high regard for religion and our not at all antagonistic. So unless your dealing with a hard core atheist apologist the answer is befriend and invite. They will quite likely accept your invitation to church. As far as the atheist goes they may not respond to your invitation but even atheists need friends.
Great use of AI. I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, but was intrigued by the transcript. On first read, I didn’t care for it, probably biased by the title and subtitle. But then I read it backward, point by point, looking for points of disagreement, and couldn’t find any. As far as it goes, this is quite good. Now is the time to recapture a truly Lutheran identity in doctrine, practice, and life. I also appreciate the idea that church, home and school (the absence of the Oxford comma is intentional) form a strong alliance within the Lutheran ethos. We could do so much better. I’m not sure I can be content with a strategy of “taking care of our own” and leaving evangelistic outreach to the unbaptized to others (“you catch ‘em, we clean ‘em).
To avoid the Oxford comma is a surrender to all that is pagan and unholy!
Oh, I'm a strict adherent to the Oxford comma, even in text messages. However, in this case, the comma was omitted to accentuate the hendiadys of home and school. I view "school" as more a part of the ordo domesticus than the ordo ecclesiasticus.
Too often prayer practices are dismissed as pietism. An attempt to live a life of prayer seen as an attempt at self-justification. Odd questions as to why one needs a prayer life when Jesus paid it all. It's like asking why we need to breath if Jesus died for us. As far as demographic decline we need to send a delegation to Douglas Wilson's reformed group in Idaho to study what they are doing. They seem to have solved that problem.
I wholeheartedly agree that virtually any discussion of piety tends to be taken as pietism in our circles. This is especially so in the life of daily prayer. Part of the problem is that we teach the "six chief parts" of the catechism and neglect the last two parts, namely the table of Christian responsibilities in the three temporal estates and daily prayer.
Luther would be very disappointed with us Lutherans. In the Large Catechism he exhorted to daily meditation on the Catechism. In his letter to his barber Peter he even taught us how. And we dismiss this as pietism and self-justification.
Also in response to what Bill wrote is there a podcast?
I assumed there was a podcast, but the link doesn't go anywhere productive, at least for me.
https://youtu.be/Nhm_OBGiCMM
Thanks Bryan