Positive Trends

I talk a lot on this blog about negative trends and problems that I see in the church. Sometimes I do it directly and other times it is by way of discussing something that I think is important that isn't being addressed much. At the moment it seems to me that a lot of Christian podcasts, news outlets, and other general commentators are doing a lot of work unveiling some of the deeply imbedded rot and sin infecting many churches and institutions. 

Though a painful thing this is a necessary step in true healing and repentance. Sin and evil must be brought into the light, kicking and screaming if needed. However, all this negative attention can give the impression that the Church is collapsing and that there is nothing redeeming to be found. This simply isn't true. Here are a couple of trends in our culture and churches that I think are positive, cause for hope, and a sign that God is still at work.

1. Openness to Spirituality - One very positive thing I've been noticing in our culture is an openness to things spiritual and transcendent that didn't exist ten years ago. There are a lot of people who now have no affiliation with any church or religious organization, and many never have, who are yearning for something more. While many do see churches as corrupt or too political, they are open to Jesus in a way that is exciting and should be pursued.

2. More Comradery - Most of you know that I grew up in the Churches of Christ in churches that are definitely more on the conservative side of things. I was told repeatedly growing up that only the Churches of Christ were the real Church and the others weren't. I remember there being mild controversy over an elder because one of his children went to a Baptist church. From what I've seen this attitude of "we're the only ones who have it right" is declining and a deeper sense of comradery between Christians of different traditions is setting in. We can appreciate that the Christian world is far more diverse and rich than we previously imagined and that there are things we can learn from everyone.

3. Reevaluating Our Priorities - One major positive of the ongoing investigations into abuse, fraud, and other grave issues in churches is a reevaluation of our priorities. For a long time the driving force behind many churches, institutions, and ministries was effectiveness, popularity, and money. In essence, we treated these endeavors just like any other worldly enterprise, complete with using the standards of the world to measure success. This meant that things like integrity, wisdom, faithfulness, and Christ-centeredness were seen as less important. Right now I think there is a reckoning going on and many Christians are assessing what really matters when choosing leaders and supporting institutions. 

There are more things I could talk about, but I'll leave at this for now. Feel free to mention other positive trends you have noticed and want to share. While I think it is vitally important for us to constantly be on the lookout for sin and holding both each other and our institutions to account it is important to be encouraging and looking for where God is on the move.