Bob Hamp

The Change is coming.  It is upon us already and it is all around us.  The shift in the church culture is world-wide and it is grass roots.  People are trying to understand, and they are trying to respond.  Some are even trying to manage the change.  Have you noticed how difficult it is to “manage” a grassroots global shift?  It happened in American culture in the 60’s and 70’s.  Nobody could really manage it, but certain voices began to rise through the clamor.  Politicians, poets, musicians, and even television all began to feed the thought-stream of the day.

Often change comes as a Reaction.  Things are not working well, and the evidence of this is growing.  Dissatisfaction, like a growing wave begins to rise and the atmosphere for change becomes increasingly ripe.  The dissatisfaction becomes visible among the people and the reasons, the issues, become topics of conversation.  “This isn’t working!”;  “Why do they always…”; “no one ever seems to…”…these conversations stir the awareness, and then movement begins.

The movement can be an exodus, a mass shift of people, like we see today.  Mainline denominations are losing people en masse, some are completely splitting over issues.  Some churches are exploding in growth, while others are disappearing and shutting the doors.  The movement can also be change.  Creative thinkers see the atmosphere, recognize the need for change.  They go to their marker-boards and conference rooms.  These movements grow into gatherings and the more distinctive voices gather large conferences.  New thoughts, new ideas, conversations challenging the Status Quo become the medium for this cultural shift.

It is an exciting time.  It is a terrifying time.  The familiar crumbles around us, while the excitement of new and world-changing ideas sends our hearts and collective thoughts soaring.  Embrace change, in fact pursue change.  Living things change, and the church is a living thing.  Part of the change that life propagates is the necessary death of the old, in order to give life to the new.

As the global shift in the church world arises again, many voices are feeding into the stream.  Listen carefully, and listen as if you yourself can actually know the Truth.  In the same way that change often arises as a reaction, change also predictably brings about two types of opposition.  It is these two categories I want to address here.

As the church world shifts, people, particularly established church leaders, tend to fear two different things.  First they fear that we will spin off into a world of unorthodox, or dangerous doctrinal decay.  Second they fear that we will open the door to licentious living, and allow sin and dangerous behavior to enter unchecked into the lives of the flock.

First let me say that we have already done a fine job of allowing both of those dynamics in the last several decades.  Nothing about the current state of things has prevented either dangerous doctrines, or licentious living.  In fact, I find myself regularly frustrated with the inability of our current state to truly help people with “licentious living”.  Again and again I hear the same powerless advice given to those who struggle; advice which boils down to, try harder, and use cognitive strategies.