Church v.2020 – Ten Changes:
#1 More About Deeds – Less About Creeds
When compared with the American church of 2012, the future church (v.2020) will be more about deeds and less about creeds.
- “Religious” experien
ces will be valued over “religious” information, especially among younger generations and those of all ages who self-identify as postmodern. - Orthopraxy (correct actions) will precede (more about beginning by belonging rather than believing was explored in the #5 change for the future church) and be viewed as more important than orthodoxy (correct belief). While not removing orthodoxy as a part of the life of the church, it lessens the likelihood of its use as a primary requirement for entry or a litmus test for faithfulness. It also allows for a wide diversity of roles for orthodoxy within varying congregations and denominations. Belief oriented common ground will focus on essentials rather than doctrine or dogma.
- Local communities of faith will focus on a shared mission while allowing for and even encouraging questions (more about valuing questions rather than answers was discussed in the #7 change for the future church) within the egalitarian group (more about egalitarianism was discussed in the #2 change for the future church).
So What?
Good theology has always mattered and always will matter. Unfortunately an extreme emphasis on orthodoxy has led many faith traditions to expend considerable energy defining and refining their specific beliefs, ensuring all within their body know these correct beliefs, and using them to differentiate (and sometimes alienate) them from other Christian traditions. Sadly within some congregations the excessive attention to proper beliefs and discussion of proposed changes at the national or denominational level to that listing leads to “analysis paralysis” (meaning so much of the time and energy is spent on getting to or near right belief that very little energy and funding is left for doing/practicing the faith by engaging in acts of love for neighbor).
A renewed focus on orthopraxy places Jesus at the center of everything (more about this placement was covered in the #6 change for the future church) and ensures that congregations emphasize a followership mentality (as was discussed in the #8 change for the future church). Additionally, it enables increased collaboration (as was considered in the #10 change for the future church).
- Many followers of the way of Jesus reading this blog have sung the words “they will know we are Christians by our love.” Is love (the matter at the very heart of Jesus’ ministry) the attribute by which others know you are Christian? your congregation? denomination? If not, what changes would be most likely to lead to this association?
- Do you believe the idea of shifting from creeds/beliefs to deeds/actions as primary is consistent with Jesus’ model and the experiences in the earliest centuries of the faith? Why or why not?