The article is at

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/douthat-can-liberal-christianity-be-saved.html?_r=1&hpw

Interesting article. It assumes health of the church can be measured by numbers, but concludes correctly that we need to better define what it means to be a Christian. He says:

Today, by contrast, the leaders of the Episcopal Church and similar bodies often don’t seem to be offering anything you can’t already get from a purely secular liberalism. Which suggests that perhaps they should pause, amid their frantic renovations, and consider not just what they would change about historic Christianity, but what they would defend and offer uncompromisingly to the world.

I may be wrong, but it may be that there is little difference between a social liberal and a Christian except what one calls ones self.

It all boils down to what the defining attribute is for Christianity. And for this I would put forth Robin R. Meyers definition:

The ultimate defining characteristic of Christianity is the incarnation, the mystery of God's presence in a person. The Word became flesh, as John put it (1:14), and lived among us. The incarnation gives the faith its form and content, bringing God "nearer to us than our jugular vein," to quote the Qur'an (50:16).

Saving Jesus from the Church

In this definition, the mantra "What would Jesus do?" takes on basic importance. It is a test of an individual and does not require or recognize any organizational membership. The organizational membership only points to a set of symbols and rites that a group uses to remind them of the wisdom that Jesus brought as the incarnation of the Mystery, God.

The gift of the church is the keeper of the history and the gathering of the faithful.

Len

On 7/16/2012 2:44 PM, R Williams wrote:

Last week New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote an article asking "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" in which he asserted that manifestations of liberal Christianity, like the Episcopal Church, are facing imminent death.

Diana Butler Ross, author of the recent book Christianity After Religion, responded to Douthat this week in the HuffPost, suggesting that conservative churches as well as liberal ones are declining. She broadens the question to, "Can Christianity Be Saved?" She ultimately asks, can liberal churches save Christianity? She refers to isolated instances of local churches that are experiencing renewal, but suggests "the denominational structures have yet to adjust their institutions to the recovery of practical wisdom that is remaking local congregations."

You may access Bass's article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-butler-bass/can-christianity-be-saved-1_b_1674807.h

The question could perhaps be taken to yet another level by asking, "Can religion be saved?" Or perhaps even more relevant, using our language and concerns from the 60s and 70s, is the question, "Can movemental Christianity survive and thrive without the institutional church?"

Randy

"Listen to what is emerging from yourself to the course of being in the world; not to be supported by it, but to bring it to reality as it desires."
-Martin Buber (adapted)
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