The Evangelical Reckoning Begins: Andy Stanley

[Hazelelponi]

Stanley's congregations are second in size to Joel Osteen's. It's the same as (in numbers and building set up) attending a concert or indoor sporting event (both of which aren't occurring anywhere in the US that I'm aware of). It's impossible to social distance in an atmosphere like that.

You can get a glimpse of one of the campus churches in this video:

I do think its possible in larger venues, which begins with only allowing x amount of people in the door to start with and asking people to sit apart from others.

I don't know why any pastor would have a congregation that size though, have no idea how you could shepard and pastor that many parishioners (like what, 100,000?) - but that's a different topic altogether.

Perhaps this is a good time for these parishioners to find a real church though... one that is small enough to know they are missing when absent, or having life issues they might need help with. They can buy a book for the other stuff.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

The Evangelical Reckoning Begins

That seems silly to make any of this political. It is a blip in public life. We shall return to church when it is safe for EVERYONE, not just ourselves.

 

[ThisIsMe123]

The Evangelical Reckoning Begins

He not buying into any narrative whatsoever, he's following the science. It's the member of his congregation (the ones complaining) that's politicizing it.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

Evangelicalism is a global phenomena, not just an American one. The elect can be deceived, as can all humans, by a powerful man, who knows how to pull their strings. Measured against eternity this is just a learning experience, for those Christians who were deceived, it is far more serious for the unsaved. Some of us were not deceived at all. In fact most of us, globally, were not deceived by Trump and always saw him for what he was - at best a useful tool of the church and at worst a man unfit for the office of president of the USA. Now it is a moot point as the American people have spoken and Trump is removed, as of January 20th.

It might have worked out for Trump had it not been for covid19, which exposed his preference for money over lives, and lies, that serve him, over truth. In the meantime he did some good things, which the church have benefited from.

But I think you are wrong if you think this is an Evangelical reckoning only. This is a challenge to a distinctive mode of being American in the modern age. The combo of "God", guns and greed that has characterised American society is being challenged by a Pandemic that cuts across all of these cultural categories, making people rethink how churches should work when Sunday churchianity is removed, questioning the valuation of firearms in the age of tanks, hypersonic missiles and drones as a guarantor of freedom, and looking with some dismay at those who value money over life.

Political agenda on view here in this post.
This isn't about Trump. Anyone could have been in office when this virus thing was loosed.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Political agenda on view here in this post.
This isn't about Trump. Anyone could have been in office when this virus thing was loosed.

Anyone could have been in office when the Depression hit -- but it was Hoover and he took the blame.

The perception that he didn't do enough to help people in a nationwide crisis cost him what would have been an easy re-election.