Evangelicals on the Road to Somewhere Else

A Review of Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Anglicanism. Robert L. Plummer, General Editor

This was a fun book to read, and definitely had a different format than most books that explore defections from evangelicalism to the "high" churches. In the section on Orthodoxy, for instance, the convert presented his case, which was answered by an evangelical, which was in turn rebutted by the convert. This pattern was repeated in the sections on Catholicism and Anglicanism. And just to reverse the trend, there was a section by a Catholic turned Protestant, with a rebuttal and a rebuttal of the rebuttal.

I can't say that any of the doctrinal issues have changed. The Catholic blames all the divisions of western Christendom on the Reformation, with a hint that secular humanism is also an offspring of the events of the 16th Century. The Orthodox sets out to prove that the West is in error because it is, well, western; and describes an intellectual and emotional conversion to a whole different way of perceiving reality--which explains why all the Orthodox that I've known or read happen to be brilliant thinkers capable of such a feat. The Anglican writer describes a renewed love for history and for liturgy. This may come as a shock, but he quotes CS Lewis, and speaks of his influence on his worldview, along with GK Chesterton. This sounds vaguely familiar.

So, what's going on here?

1) Psychological analysis. I am about to say something totally bizarre, and I hope humorous; but I am saying it from experience, not as an outsider. Raised a Presbyterian, I became deeply involved in the charismatic movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. In the 1980’s I began to burn out and look for historic continuity and consistency in the Christian faith. Without going into all the details, I emerged a few years later in a small, conservative Anglican communion similar to the one described in Plummer’s book. In a short time I went from anti-institutional spontaneity to wearing a collar and making the sign of the cross. It was a breath of fresh air to not have to do one better every service, but sink into the beauty and objectivity of the prayer book. I began to understand why my early heroes like Chesterton, Lewis, and Tolkien drew so much life from the Christian Liturgy. I felt cozy and secure.

I was struck while reading Journeys of Faith how common this experience is. Every writer had been where I was and described the need for “something more” in ways that resonated with me. Interestingly, all had been in some form of ministry for roughly 20 years, which would make most of them fortyish when they began a new quest. I have a subtle feeling that there is a need for radical change and a wider view and a deeper sense of security for men at that age. OK, laugh if you want. Much of the ecclesiastical shifts around that age bear a striking resemblance to a male mid-life crisis. That may lie behind some of the defections that evangelical churches have experienced since the 1960’s. Thank you, BF Skinner.

2) Ecclesiological strictures. My experience was different from the men in Plummer’s book in one sense: I did not stay in my new-found haven. I am one of the few men who has actually outlived his mid-life crisis. While I loved Anglicanism, it (at least at the local level) did not love me. I found myself at 60 out of a church, out of a denomination, and out of a collar. Anne and I let gravity take its course, and we ended up in a charismatic church with Presbyterian (Reformed) theology. This descent into the far past was expounded several decades ago by St. Dorothia of Kansas when she said “There’s no place like home.”

So why are people abandoning evangelicalism? I was going at this point to suggest that it’s because evangelicalism is not charismatic enough, and not Calvinistic enough. In other words, its not like me. Then I lapsed into some sort of euphoric state that only an old guy (I turn 70 this month) can have, and began to see boxes--little boxes, and big boxes, and men shouting “My box is bigger (and better) than your box,” and I was afraid I was in some Freudian nightmare. I thought of the fact that there is more than one Christian where I work, and maybe that’s where my church is--out there, where God had to drive the Jerusalem church because it wouldn’t leave the city, and that seed grows better when it is scattered than when it is gathered, and really, who gives a rat’s behind who wins the True Church Award?

Sorry to lose it there. I’m totally off the point (maybe there’s such a thing as stream of consciousness blogging). But there’s something afoot in the land.