The Death of White American Christianity: Boyd recognizes Rah's New Book and Gives Me a Shout Out!

Greg Boyd is the senior pastor of Woodland Hills church in St. Paul MN, a prolific author, and noted contemporary theologian. Recently, on his popular blog, Boyd discussed a topic that has been widely publicized: the demise of American Christianity. Boyd encouraged Kingdom people not to mourn the decline of the American Christianity for at least 5 reasons: (1) America never has never been a "Christian nation" as too many presume; (2) there will be one less illusion to combat when inviting Americans to the Kingdom; (3) there will be one less distraction from doing the work of the Kingdom; (4) the Kingdom has always thrived when marginalized by mainstream society; (5) will expose the idol of American individualism.

I recommended to Boyd the book of my former professor at CUME and former CCFC pastor, Soong-Chan Rah, who now teaches at North Park Seminary in Chicago and just released The Next Evangelicalism (IVP, 2009; found here). I suggested there may be at least one more reason why Kingdom people should not mourn the demise of Americanized Christianity:

This "demise" seems to only be descriptive of white American Christianity.

While predominately white churches and denominations are shrinking and closing their doors, ethnic minority, immigrant, and multiethnic churches are expanding and thriving. For years (possibly over 20) the Emmanuel Gospel Center has been researching and charting the growth of churches in Boston and discovered that while the perception of the church in Boston was one of decline and stagnation, they found vitality all around them. It was true that white congregations were declining, but church-planting and church growth was exploding in Haitian, Cape Verdean, Portuguese, Brazilian, Korean, Chinesse congregations (to name a few). Boston's "Quiet Revival" has even been discussed in Christianity Today here.

In The Next Evangelicalism, Rah argues that the church in America more accurately reflects the values and characteristics of Western, white culture than those descriptive of the Kingdom of God from Scripture. I am 120 pages into Rah's book and hope to have it finished and a review written soon. Be on the look-out for that!

In Boyd's latest blog-post, he recognizes Dr. Rah's book and gives me a much-appreciated shout out for the suggestion: Only WHITE American Christianity is Dying!

I am excited that I was able to connect these two brilliant and prophetic scholar-pastors. I truly believe their research will be vital to Kingdom people in this century. Greg Boyd's ministry is exposing the theological and political captivity of the American church and Soong-Chan Rah's ministry is exposing it's cultural captivity. Both are advancing a radical return to a Jesus movement that more accurately reflects the Kingdom of God. That's the type of Jesus movement I want to be a part of!