Church still has power to change mankind

     Attempting to assess religious trends in the last two decades has been something akin to fools rushing in where angels fear to tread.
     There's probably no reason to expect more from prophetic ponderances for the next score or so of years, and that in itself may be the only predictable surety. That, and the fluidity of contradictions that seem to beset influence of The Church on American society.
     When organized, identifiable denominations brought to bear the weight of prophetic pronouncements concerning minority civil rights in the sixties, a sizable segment of pew occupiers resented that call for justice.
     When the Viet Nam War crippled American society, The Church was criticized for saying too little too late, and too much too soon. The Left felt abandoned by an American patriotism that seemed to compromise the Gospel. The Right felt the basic Gospel message compromised by bureaucratic meddling, and theological theorizing had left the heart of the Christian message vulnerable to intellectual patronizing.

New splintering arises

     Just as Americans learned to spell and pronounce "Ecumenism" and examine long-held prejudices and assumptions about their neighbors' faith, just when it looked if mainline denominations were moving toward each other, a new splintering of Biblical-Fundamental religiosity began to emerge.
     On the heels of the misunderstood shocker that some theologians were proclaiming "God Is Dead", came a new wave of searching for religious meaning -- and not all of it Christian.
      What probably can be said is that anti-institutionalism, loss of identity and feelings of powerlessness pervading American society were as deeply felt within religious enterprises as anywhere.
      Perhaps even more, since this sure bastion of supposed changelessness was involved in tremendous upheaval -- sociologically, theologically and financially. Even politically we sense the change, with pollsters telling us the acknowledged faith commitments of mainline Roman Catholic Edmund "Jerry" Brown and Born-again Baptist Jimmy Carter are seen as pluses to the American electorate.

No longer low-keyed

     Where once it was important for a president to be low-key-private religious, now an upfrontness about their faith is admired and seen as desirable for a potential presidential candidate.
     What does this portend for the future? How can one begin to guess? A safe venture would be to suggest The Church will continue in flux for the decade to come.
     There is certainly a heightened interest in religious "meaning" -- the quest for authenticity and interest in religious or theological questions, a desire for community.
     Some are turning their backs on organized, institutional religion. But, not all for the same reason. Some see it unresponsive to questions of religious values, justice and social change.

Too few answers

     Others see The Church asking too many questions without providing answers of "good old-time religion". Both are moving from The Church, but for quite different reasons. An educated guess would see mainline institutional religion in an increasingly diminished role of importance with both camps.
     The one, disenchanted with The Church leaving its communal activity for other avenues of expressing concern and integrity; the other finding answers in non-denominational "back to the Bible" styles of religious encounter.
     The Church of mainline Roman Catholicism and traditional Protestantism will see an increasingly-aware laity: perhaps smaller in numbers but more dedicated and full of challenge than that of post-World War II years. Money will continue to be tighter, but it will be there.
     Attendance at regular worship will probably continue a slow decline before it bottoms out. Some of that will have to do with the continuing challenge thrust upon the church to deal with questions some churches have sought to avoid: issues such as sexuality, birth control, abortion, serial marriage, homosexuality, for Roman Catholicism a married clergy, the place of women in the church and others.
     Where does it all meet -- not end, but meet. Probably where reformation and theological reassessment have always ended for Christianity: in an ongoing and recurring Biblical examination. It has been said that in every age of Christian reformation its base has been a Scriptural reformation. One can begin to see conservative religiosity forcing that issue on mainline and liberal theology: a forcing to face up to the Biblical witness for this age.

New thinkers on scene

     Theologically, the age of giant theologians ended in this decade. But there is an unparalleled ferment of new thinkers on the scene.
     God has been systematized for almost 2,000 years. Now seems to be the age of facing up to new understandings of mankind and fitting the pieces together: God and Humankind. It is an uneasy age for Church as well as State.
     It is also an exciting one, full of ideas and change and hope. While remnants of a position that seemed to suggest religion was hopeless still exist, far greater are signs of "reawakening" that again suggest the deepest longings of the human spirit are seeking answers that theological perspective along seems to provide.
     Questions are being asked on all sides. The future of The Church lies in its ability to face them, understand them and respond to them. It still has a corner of the "search for meaning" market, and it still has power to "change the lives" of mankind.
     The next few decades will determine if it also has the will to do so.

-- The Rev. Kurt Reichardt

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.