By Pastor Stephen Hess –
In 1949 the British author Dorothy Sayers wrote, “The reason why churches are discredited today is not that they are too bigoted about theology, but that they have run away from theology.” If Sayers’s words were true in 1949, they are even more true in 2020.
Over the past several decades many denominations in the United States have moved away from teaching orthodox Christian doctrine. Instead they have embraced a “lowest common denominator” approach to Christianity and have even sought to “revise” Christian teaching so that it will fit with modern values. Some mainline protestant denominations no longer affirm the central truths of the protestant reformation such as the infallibility of Scripture or salvation through Christ alone. Back in 2006, one mainline American denomination decided that the Biblical language for the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—needed updating and encouraged members to experiment with new titles for God such as “Rainbow, Arch, and Dove.”
All of this running away from theology (to borrow a phrase from Sayers) has been done in the name of attracting people to the church. Some people believed that if the Christian faith were watered down, it would become more appealing to the world. In reality, the exact opposite has been true: The churches and denominations that have abandoned orthodox doctrine have been rapidly dying; meanwhile, studies show that the churches and denominations that are experiencing growth are those that affirm orthodox Christian theology. As it turns out, when the church becomes exactly like the world, then it no longer has something left to offer the world.
Dorothy Sayers argued that the reason people find churches dull today is not because churches have taught too much doctrine, but because they have neglected doctrine. Recent research would suggest that she was right. In American churches today there is a troubling lack of theological knowledge when it comes to even the most basic Christian doctrines. According to the 2020 State of Theology Survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries, 30% of Evangelical Christians believe that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” 42% of Evangelical Christians believe that “God accepts the worship of all religions.” 46% of Evangelicals believe that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” These statistics reflect the disturbing reality that even among those who claim to believe the Bible there is a huge amount of theological confusion.
What is the solution to these problems? The church in America today needs to refocus its attention on the great doctrines of the Christian faith. The statistics above suggest that believers need to be reminded of what we believe and why we believe it. Furthermore, the quality that is going to attract non-believers to churches will be the courage and clarity of our convictions. You might say that if the church wants to be most relevant, it should stop focusing on being relevant and instead focus on proclaiming the truth. After all, it is this truth that the lost so desperately need and that the world cannot offer to them.
This fall at Highview we are working through a sermon series on the Apostles’ Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest and most universally recognized creeds in the history of the Christian church. It states some of the core doctrines that have made Christianity unique for two thousand years. I hope you will join us every Sunday as we remind ourselves what we believe and why we believe it.