Over the last couple of months the church in NYC has felt the rise of Post-Christendom in very tangible ways. A court decision that was years in the making has resulted in more than 65 churches begin evicted from renting space in public school buildings during after-hours, typically on Sundays. As the news of the legal turn made it's way through the proverbial grapevine, officials with NYC Housing Authority independently decided that the decision must apply to them too and proceeded to evict churches from renting space in Housing Authority buildings. (Ironically, these are often churches sacrificially giving a degree of counseling, mentoring, and life skills to the poorest communities that the city is typically too over-burdened to realistically provide.)
Churches, evangelical politicians, and Christian leaders across the city are uniting and organizing to protest. As a matter of democracy, there are significant nuances to this case that ought to be a concern to others even beyond the Christian community just as a civic matter. However, for the church as a theological community, I have to take pause and ask, "What sort of response does God want us to have?" Is this a moment to stand against the rising tide of post-Christendom and defy it's seemingly inevitable progress? It may be, and in our immediate rush to fight for our rights, I also hope that don't we miss grasping the subversive nature of the Gospel when it's forced to the margins. How is God calling His people to respond? I think it is an important question to ponder. Is this a moment when the church scrambles for space and protests its evictions, or is it a moment like so many times in history (for example, the early church in the Roman Empire or the Chinese church of the 20th century) when the church goes "underground" only to grow in its influence and societal impact through a newly recovered missionary identity. Could it be a moment to step into the dissonance and re-think how we do church in order to better reflect our new Post-Christendom missionary context?
Of course, this is not the only real-life metaphor of Post-Christendom emerging in place of America's once cultural Christendom. The highly controversial and wildly popular decisions for gay marriage is another example. (Before saying another word, it's important to note that it is quite a complicated example as a civic matter in a democracy as well, but I'm focusing on the theological-historical reality.) During the Hellenistic period, the evidence of primary sources (several of which I've read in recent months) points to a range of homosexual relationships and behaviors, including literature and songs celebrating gay marriages. Of course the Christian community held out an alternative view of sexuality (Yes at one point in history heterosexual covenant monogamy was the alternative lifestyle!) Following the rise of Christendom, the Christian sex ethic prevailed at least as a public standard, and many sexual practices were largely suppressed -- while improprieties quietly continued. After centuries of a cultural Christendom, Western society is returning to a much wider range of sexual philosophies and practices, and it is a shock to the system of many Christian communities who continue to hold on to Biblical authority. However, I think the real shock isn't bumping up against immorality of one sort or another (that's always been there under surface of Christendom's power), but it's the realty of no longer having control.
How does the church respond to the rise of Post-Christendom? Do we engage in the political process in order to influence policy? Maybe, but if so, we are wise to differentiate the difference between Christianity and Christendom as we engage a pluralistic society. (The stories of Christendom -- both past and present -- have plenty of examples that don't reflect what is actually Christian, in the Biblical sense.) Do we re-organize church communities to contextualize for Post-Christendom society? Do we find a prophetic voice that better represents a witness from the margins? Can the church in the West regain it's identity as a missionary community in a land where they are not in control? Or, as some might argue, does the church fight tooth and nail to retain a place of power in public policy?
The church in the West faces tremendous challenges. In truth, I don't know the right answers to all these questions. Ultimately, I do hope that we ask the right questions, and I hope that we are faithful to how the Lord leads us, especially when it requires courage to enter a country as exiles to be salt and light in a land that we no longer know.
