God is Doing a New Thing
I never imagined I’d find so much common ground with a Southern Baptist—okay, a former Southern Baptist – but when I read Russell Moore’s book, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, I not only found myself rabidly turning page after page but saying, out loud, “Yes!” and “Preach!” and again, “YES!” If you know anything about Presbyterians it is that, if it’s not written down in our bulletin, you can bet your last communion wafer we’re not saying it out loud. We have earned our name, “the Frozen Chosen.”
An Invitation
But, this is exactly one of the many important points Moore makes in his book when he urges the reader to, “Embrace new communities and friendships”[1] as a way of joining in what God is already doing in and to the Church.[2] He suggests that God is initiating something transformative within the Evangelical church and the broader Christian community, inviting us to participate in this new movement.[3] Moore begins his introduction to his book with the statement, “If we wanted to find Jesus we would have to lose our religion”[4] framing this moment in history as a contemporary altar call. He then challenges readers to reflect on what they should seek and what they should abandon, suggesting that “losing our religion” may echo Jesus’s command to a first-century church in crisis—a rekindling of their first love.[5] Given the recent scandals that have plagued the Evangelical Church, Moore’s assertion that “what is not repaired is repeated” carries significant weight.[6] He argues that we are at a critical juncture in history where God is inviting the Evangelical Church to undergo a rebirth, to gain new perspectives, and to be transformed into something fundamentally different.
New Communities New Friendships
One of the most noticeable aspects of this transformation is the formation of friendships that bridge different tribes and traditions. Moore writes, “Revival in Scripture and in history, from Pentecost on, always upends the definition of the pronouns we and us.”[7]
I experience this “new community and friendship” in our cohort. I am a cradle Presbyterian. Born and raised in the PC(USA). I appreciate much of my religious tradition and tribe. However, even with our “predestined status” Presbyterians do not have the “only way to God” and I’ve found more common ground in matters of faith with my cohort peers than points of divergence. (In case you didn’t catch my snark, I’m kidding about the predestined status.)
Fear or Gospel?
Moore points out that no matter what side of the political aisle you hear it from, fear is being used to motivate and move us away from our neighbors, instead of Gospel love moving toward one another.[8] Social media algorithms merged with religious identity provide the perfect storm to trigger our reptilian brain.[9] In his book, Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding, Bobby Duffy claims we often are wrong about things because of a “complex system of forces, both in our heads and in the world, that reinforce each other.”[10] One of the “forces” in the world are the algorithms of our social media and news media feeds. What we see on social media usually reinforces our biases, as well as triggering fear and our reptilian brains. What kicks in then is our “fast thinking” response often causing us to behave poorly.[11] Yet, we can be changed. The first step to being changed is to recognize what is triggering the fallen reptilian part of our brain and who benefits from that fear.[12] If we can recognize that, we can ask what the Gospel would ask of us instead.
But we also have to know the Gospel. We have to be able to recognize the voice of Jesus among all of the other voices shouting at us. We must “inhabit the Bible” letting the story of God form us from the inside out.
Recently our PC(USA) congregation worked together with an Evangelical congregation in our community to host a “Guns to Gardens” event in which we invited people to surrender their unwanted guns. A trained volunteer would make several cuts into the gun rendering them no longer a weapon and then a blacksmith would melt them down and turn them into garden tools. This was a BIG DEAL. An Evangelical church and a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation working together to turn guns into garden tools in Central Oregon.
This partnership demonstrates how individuals and congregations can move beyond the fear-based rhetoric that Moore critiques. Instead of allowing secondary theological divisions or social media algorithms to drive us apart, our churches chose to focus on a shared goal rooted in Gospel values.
This initiative also showcased the potential for change that Moore emphasizes. Our churches recognized the divisive forces at play in our community and chose to respond with a unifying action. In doing so, we modeled how faith communities can resist the “reptilian brain” responses triggered by fear and instead act on the Gospel’s call to peacemaking and community-building, moving beyond our traditional tribes and embracing a new partnership.
Conclusion
There is much in Moore’s book to consider as we ask ourselves how God is calling us to live in this moment in history. His book brings hope that the Evangelical Church as well as the larger body of Christ, can be and is being transformed by the Spirit. The question is, will we follow where the Spirit blows being born anew?
[1] Russell, D. Moore, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, Penguin Publishing Group, 2023, Kindle Edition, 227.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid, 24.
[4] Ibid, 3.
[5] Ibid, 24.
[6] Ibid, 212.
[7] Ibid, 231.
[8] Ibid, 80-81.
[9] Ibid, 78.
[10] Bobby Duffy, Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding, Basic Books 2019, Kindle edition, p.11.
[11] Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 1st edition. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2011, Kindle location 264.
[12] Russell, D. Moore, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, Penguin Publishing Group, 2023, Kindle Edition, 84.
About the Author
Kally Elliott
Mom of four. Wanna-be Broadway star. PC(USA) pastor. Wife. Friend. Sometimes a hot mess. Sometimes somewhat together. Is this supposed to be a professional bio?5 responses to “God is Doing a New Thing”
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Hi Kally,
You wrote, “Our churches recognized the divisive forces at play in our community and chose to respond with a unifying action. In doing so, we modeled how faith communities can resist the “reptilian brain” responses triggered by fear and instead act on the Gospel’s call to peacemaking and community-building, moving beyond our traditional tribes and embracing a new partnership.
What a brilliant example.
Moore quoted poet and novelist Wendell Berry when he spoke to a group of concerned environmental activists as saying, “The great problems call for many small solutions.”
I love that. It reminds me of Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change, Greg Sartell.
At the advance someone asked, “where does the change come from?” and I answered it comes from us. WE are the changers, we will cause the ripples via our NPOs that are intended to change the church and the world.
If the church needs changing, the seeds for the changes are within us.
Shalom…
Ohh! I love that “great problems call for many small solutions” quote! What a hopeful thing to say! We don’t have to solve it all but can solve one small thing at a time.
Hi Kally,
Your post had me thinking of Wicked Problems by Bentley and Toth as well as Cascades by Greg Satell. Specifically, that wicked problems are really messes of multiple problems and that people coming together can make things better. I wonder if this current brand of Christian Nationalism will always be a thing in the US because of the unique way our country was formed, if it will morph into something else, or fade away. Do you see much of this thinking or behavior in your current or previous settings as a pastor? How do you hold the tension between people you love and pastor when they can’t see eye to eye? I’ve been a bit surprised by what has popped up in my US ministry context over the last few years. It feels as though some of us are losing our freedom to speak up when others get free reign.
“There is much in Moore’s book to consider as we ask ourselves how God is calling us to live in this moment in history. His book brings hope that the Evangelical Church as well as the larger body of Christ, can be and is being transformed by the Spirit. The question is, will we follow where the Spirit blows being born anew?” I always wonder about the “spirit”. Not that it doesn’t exist, but how we all interpret it:).
Great posts Kally, I’m with you. I used to think if two Christians had different doctrines and sat together, one was closer to the kingdom and the other was farther based on their understanding of theology, doctrines, etc., but now I think the kingdom is actually at work when they sit TOGETHER with openness, love, and humility. Unity in the midst of diversity, which is why I love our cohort and program. I loved a lot of what Moore was saying as well!