Why I Walked Away from Evangelicalism

The writer’s declaration , “I did not find a single church…” is truly plausible and fascinating for us to consider in the 21st century. But how does it juxtapose with the 1st century, and therefore Biblical understanding? My ministry colleague, Frank Hamrick, leaves next week for an exhausting itinerary visiting some (certainly not all) of the locations where the Apostle Paul planted churches. They will travel in a 9 passenger van. New Testament era believers had no such vehicle to traverse the roads of Asia Minor and Grecian Peninsula, nor the theological, ideological or sociological issues of their day. Perhaps that is why Paul wrote so passionately, and with Biblical authority, about the issues mentioned.

The writer, I believe, is writing in mid-stream in his process, hence you are given a glimpse of it before he comes to final conclusions (though he did conclude with joining the LCMS but the matter as a whole is yet finalized in his mind). He has some reconciliation to do with his observations, the facts of what he experiences, his thoughts and the priorities of Scripture.

I agree wholly with his list. And I do believe there are less rather than more congregations which fit the higher end of the desires he expressed.

But…what I do believe is that at some point he will come to understand that a Christian must, at some time, settle on a teacher and its assembly and accept that even in ideal circumstances it will have its short comings.

I, myself, could, in good conscience, attend and/or join (and have) a Lutheran church (LCMS WELS or equivalent by any other name), a Southern Baptist church, an Independent Baptist church, a MacArthurite church, no local assembly but receive teaching at a distance, or a Presbyterian church just to name a few. It does not mean I would be willing to do so with any Lutheran SB, IB, Mac or Presb. church, however their body of teaching itself does not rule out whether I could or could not attend and/or join. Each individual congregation must be investigated. It is true that within some denominations or sects there are more issues and so it is less likely I would be part of one than another but still it does not rule them out. My suspicion is that because the LCMS has a history and current profile of serious theological articulation, this meets a very primary concern or need for the writer where he is willing to accept disagreement in other areas.

And I suspect that if some of these other congregations appeared in his mind to have reflected a higher approach toward theology as he sought, he would have accepted some of their liabilities. Their lack (in his mind) of theological perspicuity aggravated what he may have normally accepted. And this lack of theological perspicuity, critical thinking skills and independent judgment skills is sorely present in many, if not most, of our congregations IMO.

But…he will discover that even in his LCMS church, while it has many benefits it has the same politics, the same goats, the same weak sheep, the same LCMS kool aid drinkers and some, that is some, members interested in regular discipleship and so on. It may have enough advantages to Evangelicalism that it will continue to capture him.

But like many of us who appreciate Lutheranism, he may come face to face with having to function in a congregation where he simply cannot swallow sacramental regeneration or the belief one can lose their salvation. He may find he simply has to keep his lip buttoned on such matters or very carefully dialog on the matter (unless he becomes convinced otherwise). Most likely his greatest fellowship will come with other believers who have also immigrated to the LCMS as born again believers from the lackings of Evangelicalsim and less with those who will proclaim some sacramental qualification for their salvation.

For the last several years, my kids have attended a LCMS school. In fact, now my wife teaches at one. We were very leary, but have been happy with it. It is a good school, but we teach alot of Bible at home and there are some lessons that my wife skips over in the Bible ciurriculum.

We were having a discussion recently with one our Lutheran friends. We were discussing the problems of baptismal regeneration. I learned was said above. Then the wife said to me, “see I think the way you veiw faith and repentance is a work.” It was an interesting discussion.

Ditto Pastor Harold and Bro. Guggenheim.

I get the feeling sometimes that many attend church with a ‘tourist’ attitude. They don’t intend to ever get involved, but stand back, enjoy the sites, and move on when they’ve seen it all or someone steps on their toes.

My dh and I are becoming more and more ‘local’ church oriented. Find a decent church close to where you live, and endeavor to bring something to that church, instead of spending months and years kicking the tires. Like most things, church is what you put into it. Too many sponges drain the life out of a church.

Even among the responses, there seems to be a lot of the “what’s in it for me” attitude.
The point is not to find what is in it for us, but how we can be used of God to serve Him and others. It is a reflection of the “consumerism” that has permeated our society. Both the writer and the responders are in many cases giving their feelings about churches, etc.
I was also raised in LCMS, which I found to be spiritually bankrupt. Once I was saved, I came to Baptist distinctives on my own. I don’t base what church I go to on how I feel about it or what is in it for me. It is more a matter of obedience. While I’m doing that, it’s my job to make that profitable for God and His people. It’s not the church’s responsibility to do it for me.
Are we all just about “church shopping and church hopping”, or do we really believe something?

[Steve Newman] I don’t base what church I go to on how I feel about it or what is in it for me. It is more a matter of obedience. While I’m doing that, it’s my job to make that profitable for God and His people. It’s not the church’s responsibility to do it for me.
Are we all just about “church shopping and church hopping”, or do we really believe something?

I don’t quite understand what you’re saying here. Let’s say you move into a new town with a dozen evangelical churches within a 20-minute driving distance. How does “obedience” direct you to which church you should attend?

It doesn’t tell me I should up and leave if I’m not getting all I want.

[Steve Newman] Even among the responses, there seems to be a lot of the “what’s in it for me” attitude.
The point is not to find what is in it for us, but how we can be used of God to serve Him and others.

In part a believer must look for a place that has his or her spiritual interests in mind so some degree of inquiry which pertain to one’s self regarding spiritual welfare and benefit must be part of why a person considers an assembly.

To state that the point is in searching for a church is “how can we be used of God to serve Him and others” as if this is to be the overriding principle is to ignore the other equally valid elements of finding an appropriate teacher and ministry to which to belong. Otherwise you should be able to walk into any organization calling itself a church and prosper spiritually with no complaint.

Of course you know that isn’t true, is it? Just as you noted, in your opinion the LCMS you belonged to was inadequate. So this myopic judgment of sorts is harsh with respect to the true needs of a believer when he or she considers an assembly. They must ask, “Is the teaching beneficial?” “Are the policies consistently applied?” “Do they practice what they claim to believe?”.

I still do not believe the writer is demanding ideal circumstances, rather he is as I said, in mid-stream, and we are getting a peak into a process that has not been concluded. But he must, as all believers, find an assembly that he can determine will provide spiritual benefit enough to feed him and care for him as one of God’s sheep that he may indeed serve and this is his biblical right and in fact, expectation. And if we are not having our spiritual needs met by way of sound teaching and practice then all our serving in the world will not make up for poor spiritual nutrition. Believers needs both, a place where they may serve and a place where they may attain and sustain spiritual health so that they may serve.

[Alex Guggenheim] To state that the point is in searching for a church is “how can we be used of God to serve Him and others” as if this is to be the overriding principle is to ignore the other equally valid elements of finding an appropriate teacher and ministry to which to belong. Otherwise you should be able to walk into any organization calling itself a church and prosper spiritually with no complaint.

that’s a good perspective.

[Alex Guggenheim] They must ask, “Is the teaching beneficial?” “Are the policies consistently applied?” “Do they practice what they claim to believe?”.

I would refine those perhaps a little. Like, “Are the policies thoughtfully applied?”

My BIL is like this man. they spent years going from church to church. he even considered becoming greek orthodox b/c he wanted the liturgy …

Also, and this is sort of tangential, I was thinking about, about your comment on the teaching being beneficial… . There’s a church in town that has really become MacArthurish in the heavy expositional preaching. so some of our church members were really pushing that our pastors start preaching that way … And my husband actually refuses to preach that way! He does not see that style as beneficial to our body as a whole. Our church is very, I don’t know, just different, extremely evangelistic and perhaps more of a hospital-type church? or just people in extremely different levels and spiritual backgrounds? So while he does read very deeply (Luther, Augustine) and preach on challenging subjects, like Romans, he specifically does it in a very simple way.

I got to thinking, the churches like MacArthur —there’s such an emphasis on TEACHING the Word, teaching, teaching, teaching … do you think it’s possible that, like the gift of tongues in Corinthians was the idealized gift, that teaching becomes the glorifed gift in these churches? …

Think about that for a while, b/c I think good teaching is essential (although what I mean by good teaching might not mean what it means to MacArthur, kwim?) I don’t know, I have just been thinking that it’s possible. And it becomes hard for the teacher to ever be seen as wrong. I went to a heavy-emphasis-on-teaching church in greenville, and while I learned a lot from the pastor, I have since seen some things in his teachings that now I see as faulty or wrong. Whereas, at the time, the teacher was so important, I would never have thought to question what he was saying …

I don’t mean to be at all disrespectful either. i have great respect for him and for his church. And we sure are all wrong at times in waht we teach. but it’s easier to be wrong and for others to see it or question it when it’s not the glorified gift? … It’s just something I have pondered now that I’m thinking about how the spiritual gifts work out in the church … (I have more questions about that, but on to open that in another thread.)

I’ve often marveled that people who are amazingly individualistic eventually find solace in a congregation where individualism bears no weight. I have seen people whine and complain about some picky detail in one church where their voice can be heard (a small church) and then join and remain in a large church where the problem is even more extant.

WELS or MO Synod Lutheranism has its good points, but these churches are not noted to cater. Bet this guy will put up with stuff from his new church he would have condemned in his old ones.

Remember Franky Schaeffer? I remember thinking when the Orthodox church in Russia was persecuting evangelical churches after the USSR dissolved, “Schaeffer will put up with this in the Orthodox Church because he has no voice. He would never have put up with this behavior and hypocrisy from an evangelical church.” Now the rules are different.

Kind of like a bratty kid is really wanting an authority to bear down upon them for security reasons, so the chronically discontent gravitate (finally) toward an organization that is unwavering and unaffected by their whining. Kids respond to the security of firmness and sometimes adults do as well. At least in many cases.