Over at the Juicy Ecumenism blog, my friend Mark Tooley gives some historical perspective on why changing theology to suit the perceived preferences of the younger generation is always a bad idea.
While the church should never “pander” to anyone, the church does have a responsibility to “cater” to those who might be making decisions about faith and the church.
Such lifelong decisions are most often made in one’s late teens and early adulthood, sometime in the transition between high school, college/career, and (where applicable) marriage and parenting.
Reaching and retaining that rising generation has been a perennial challenge to churches. Many churches have died because they failed to meet the test.
Reaching the rising generation involves three main factors. Liberalizing one’s theology is not one of them—in fact, point #1 is the opposite strategy.
1. Offer the transcendent, compelling message of the gospel.
Ordering one’s life around faith and the church requires considerable sacrifice. Therefore, people have to see why church is so compelling that they would bother to get out of bed on Sunday morning.
Moralistic pabulum and vague niceties don’t cut it. Pastors and teachers need to constantly trumpet the shocking claims of the gospel.
Our sin has put us in jeopardy of hell.
God became incarnate as a man, Jesus, lived a perfect life and died on the cross so we could be forgiven.
He rose again bodily to defeat death.
He reigns forever now with the Father.
These and others are historic, bracing truths of Christianity, and they compel a response of adherence, for those with ears to hear.
