The Great Evangelical Decline偉大的福音事工促進會下降

June 14, 2008 2008年6月14日

I found this article very interesting concerning the decline of many protestant denominations in North America.我發現這條很有趣的關於減少許多新教教派在北美地區。

Christine Wicker: The great evangelical decline克里斯汀柳條：偉大的福音事工促進會下降

Sunday, June 1, 2008週日， 2008年6月1日

Christine Wicker is the author of “The Fall of the Evangelical Nation:克里斯汀柳條是作者“秋天的福音事工促進會，民族：
The Surprising Crisis Inside the Church.” Her e-mail address is這個令人驚訝的危機，內教會， “她電子郵件地址是
christine@christinewicker.com . 。

What Baptist leaders have known for years is finally public: The什麼浸會領導人都知道，多年來是最後公眾：
Southern Baptist Convention is a denomination in decline.美南浸信會的公約是一個面額在下降。 Half of the一半的
SBC’s 43,000 churches will have shut their doors by 2030 if current SBC的43000教會將關閉其門，到2030年，如果目前的
trends continue.趨勢繼續下去。

And unless God provides a miracle, the trends will continue.除非上帝提供了一個奇蹟，趨勢將繼續下去。 They are他們是
longstanding and deeply rooted.長期以來，根深蒂固。 The denomination’s growth rate has面額的增長速度
been declining since the 1950s.一直在下降，自20世紀50年代。 The conservative/fundamentalist保守/原教旨主義
takeover 30 years ago was supposed to turn the trend around; it didn’t收購30年前是假定，把周圍的趨勢;沒有
make a bit of difference.做出一點差異。

Leaders said it did.領導人表示，這樣做。 Reporters and politicians believed it did.記者和政界人士認為，這樣做。 But但是
the numbers kept going down until, finally, they have become obvious數目不斷下降，直至最後，他們已成為明顯的
to everyone.每一個人。

Evangelical faith has been dropping since 1900, when 42 percent of the基督教信仰一直下降，自1900年以來，當42 ％的
US claimed that distinction.美國聲稱的區別。 Every year, Religious Right每年，宗教的權利
evangelicals, such as those who lead the Southern Baptists, are a福音派，如那些誰帶領美南浸信會，是一個
smaller proportion of the country.較小比例的國家。 Every year, their core values are每年，它們的核心價值觀
violated more flagrantly by the media, scientific discovery and更公然違反了由媒體，科學發現和
mainstream behavior.主流的行為。 Every election, politicians promise to serve them每一次選舉，政治家的承諾，為他們服務
and then don’t because evangelicals lack the power to make them.然後不要因為新教徒缺乏權力，使它們。

What all this means is that we were duped.什麼這一切的意思是，我們被矇騙。 All the hype proclaiming an所有的炒作宣布1
evangelical resurgence was merely that – hype, a furious shout from a福音事工促進會，死灰復燃，只不過是-炒作，憤怒的呼喊從
faith losing its grip, manipulation by a relatively small group of信仰失去抓地力，操控由一個相對小組
dedicated, focused, political power-seekers.專用，有重點，政治權力的人士。

The long decline of Southern Baptist faith is critical to the entire長期下降，美南浸信會的信仰是至關重要的整個
evangelical movement because the Southern Baptist Convention, which福音事工促進會，運動，因為美南浸信會的公約，該公約
claims 16 million members, is the biggest evangelical denomination in索賠1600萬成員，是最大的福音事工促進會，面額在
the country, almost six times as large as the next biggest國家，幾乎6倍大作為下一個最大的
predominately white evangelical denomination.白色為主的福音事工促進會，面額。

The second-largest evangelical group, the National Association of第二大福音事工促進會組，全國協會
Evangelicals, has claimed 30 million members.福音派，要求三千萬成員。 Their churches actually他們的教堂，其實
have 7.6 million, tops.有760.0萬，頂部。 Most of those are having the same problems the大部分這些都是具有相同的問題
Baptists are having.浸信會的有。

As the true picture of evangelicals’ problems has developed, panicked作為真實福音派'的問題，制定了，驚惶失措
leaders are splitting into camps.領導人都分為營地。 Some say that the church is lax,有人說，教會是寬鬆，
soft, sold out.軟，售罄。 That what’s needed is an even bigger dose of the說什麼的需要的是一，甚至更大劑量的
medicine that the SBC fundamentalist takeover delivered.中醫認為，原教旨主義的SBC收購發表。 More更多
authority, more strict interpretations of the Bible, more sermons權威，更嚴格的解釋聖經，更說教
about sin and suffering and sacrifice, more rigor about who is and who關於單仲偕和苦難和犧牲，更嚴謹，誰是誰
isn’t getting to go to heaven.是得不到去天堂。 They argue that Christianity-lite is他們爭辯說，基督教- Lite是
the problem.這個問題。 Get back to the Bible, they say, which means proclaiming回到聖經，他們說，這意味著宣告
more confidently that the only interpretation is Truth, and anyone who更有信心地認為，只有解釋是真理，任何人誰
doesn’t agree with it will surely go to hell.不同意它一定會去地獄。

A growing number of dedicated Southern Baptists believe the Bible’s越來越多的專用美南浸信會相信聖經的
truth is a Calvinist one.真理是calvinist 1 。 They reject the traditional Baptist idea他們拒絕傳統的浸會的想法
that any human can choose to be saved in favor of predestination, the任何人可以選擇被保存在有利於predestination ，
idea that only those whose names are already written in the Book of想法，只有那些名字，已經寫的書
the Lamb will go to heaven.羔羊會去天堂。 Kick out the unregenerates, they say.踢了unregenerates ，他們說。 That那個
will fix the problem.將解決這一問題。

Still others say the problem is image.還有人說，問題是形象。 Evangelicals have been seen as福音派已被視為
mean-spirited and narrow.意味著昂揚的和狹隘的。 Caring about the environment and giving more關心環境和提供更多
attention to the poor and needy will turn it around.注意貧窮及有需要將它靠近。 Get out of失控
politics, they say.政治，他們說。 Play down abortion and gay rights.貶低墮胎和同性戀權利。 That will fix將修復
the problem.這個問題。

But none of these ideas will halt the increasing irrelevance of不過，這些想法將停止增加無關
evangelical faith to the great majority of the US population.福音事工促進會，真誠地絕大部份的美國人口。
Evangelical faith is being attacked inside and outside its churches by基督教信仰是被攻擊內外其教堂
forces that won’t be stopped by new biblical rigor or an image makeover.力量將是不可阻擋的新聖經嚴謹或形象面貌。

I’ll give you just three of those many forces.我給你剛才3那些很多力量。

One is Alcoholics Anonymous and all its 12-step offspring – the一個是酗酒者及無名氏其所有12步的後代-
creation of two Christian men who wanted to help alcoholics.設立了兩個基督教男子誰願意幫助酗酒者。 They他們
modeled AA on the teachings of Jesus and the ideas of philosopher仿照AA對的教誨，耶穌和思想的哲學家
William James.威廉詹姆斯。 Instead of asking alcoholics to be saved, they asked而非要求戒酒，以節省，他們問
them to call on a god of their own understanding.他們呼籲對神他們自己的理解。 Sometimes leaders有時領導人
illustrated the freedom of that definition by saying, “That door knob說明自由的定義說， “這門旋鈕
over there might be your god.”超過有可能你的上帝“ 。

They included 12 steps based on Christian principles that are never它們包括12個步驟的基礎上基督教的原則，從來都不是
identified as Christian and include no Bible verses.被確定為基督教和不包括聖經經文。 They eschewed他們避免
guilt and any talk of sinfulness.罪惡感和任何談論的罪孽。 Repentance was directed at specific悔改是針對具體
people who had been harmed.人們誰曾受到損害。 There was no doctrine, no institution, no有沒有理論，任何機構都沒有
demand for monetary support.需求的金融支持。

Tens of millions of addicts and other troubled people used this “door數以千萬計的吸毒成癮者和其他困擾的人使用這個“門
knob god” to build new lives.旋鈕以神之名“建立新的生活。 They learned that they didn’t have to他們知道他們沒有向
read the Bible, attend church or follow a preacher’s rules to engage a閱讀聖經，參加教會或遵循的佈道者的規則，以從事一
divine power that could heal them.神聖的權力，可以治愈他們。

Nothing like that kind of open-ended faith had ever been experienced沒有這樣的種不限成員名額的信念，從來未被經歷
before.在…之前。 And so the role of the church as interpreter of God’s truth等的作用，教會翻譯上帝的真理
and the Bible as its sole repository lost power with millions.和聖經作為其唯一的存放處失去動力擁有數以百萬計。

The second attack came within the church as American evangelicals第二次攻擊來與教會作為美國福音派
themselves became less willing to proclaim that they are the only ones自己成為不太願意宣布，他們是唯一
saved.保存。 That idea had seemed reasonable when people lived in fairly這一想法似乎是合理的，當人民生活在公平
homogeneous groups.同質群體。 “The other” was unknown, seemed inferior and “其他”是未知的，似乎和劣勢
appeared unlikely to have God’s blessing.似乎不可能有上帝的祝福。 Since few people had much to因為少數人有很大
do with foreigners – except in times of war, when they were trying to與外國人-除了在戰爭時期，當他們試圖
kill them, or from behind a tourist’s camera, when they were making殺死他們，或從後面遊客的相機，當他們作出
souvenirs of them – “our way is the only way” seemed reasonable.他們的紀念品-“我們的方式是唯一的出路” ，似乎是合理的。

But international travel, business and communication have changed但國際旅遊，商務和通信已經改變
that.那個。 So have huge waves of immigration.因此，擁有龐大的移民潮。 Now “the other” is likely to現在， “其他”可能
be your son-in-law or grandchild.是您的女婿或孫子女。

The idea that only one little part of one kind of religion has the的想法，只有一小部分的一種宗教有
only way to God has begun to seem more and more unlikely.只有這樣，上帝已開始似乎越來越不可能。 It has begun它已經開始
to seem rude.顯得粗魯。 Un-Christian, even.聯合國基督教，甚至。 And evangelicals, who don’t like和福音派，誰不喜歡
being boorish any more than anyone else, have become less and less正在boorish任何比任何人更已成為越來越少
willing to relegate their neighbors to hell.願意relegate他們的鄰居地獄之路。

So we have a completely formless god of great power and instant所以我們有一個完全無形之神的大國和即時
accessibility romping around, rescuing millions whom everyone else had無障礙romping左右，挽救數百萬人，其他人已
given up on.放棄了。 Then we have more Christians getting squeamish about然後我們有更多的基督徒越來越squeamish約
proclaiming hegemony over heaven.宣告霸權的天堂。

And along comes The Pill.而且隨著而來的丸。 It’s merely one of the insidious attacks它的只是其中一個最陰險的攻擊
science has launched against traditional religious faith, but it is科學已展開對傳統宗教的信仰，但它是
surely the most successful.當然，最成功的。 Nothing in history has changed human沒有在歷史上改變了人類
relations as much as that little white pill.關係多的小白丸。

The curse God laid on Eve wasn’t quite so ironclad anymore.詛咒上帝會省覽的前夕，不太使鐵的了。 Skip跳過
forward a few decades, and couples started delaying marriage until提出了幾十年，夫婦開始拖延，直到結婚
their late 20s, 30s or even 40s.他們晚20多歲，三十多歲，甚至40多歲。 But that pill meant there was less但丸的意思有少
pressure to abstain from sex until the wedding.壓力投棄權票，從性別，直到婚禮。

So hardly anyone did.因此，幾乎沒有人做。 Some single couples who slept together or lived一些單一的夫婦，誰睡在一起或生活
together and simply kept quiet about it kept coming to church, but一起簡單噤若寒蟬它不斷去教堂，但
millions of others slept in Sunday mornings.以百萬計的其他睡在週日早上。 Evangelical leaders福音派領袖
resolutely hewed to the abstinence standard at least formally,堅決hewed向禁慾的標準至少在形式上，
resulting in little more than extra hypocrisy.導致在多一點額外的虛偽。

That didn’t matter much.沒有的事很多。 Hypocrisy has always flourished, and it虛偽一直蓬勃發展，和它
hasn’t killed the church yet.沒有死亡教會。 But evangelicals’ failure to grapple但福音派未能格鬥
with change meant the church was no help in a world where people were與改變的意思，教會是沒有什麼幫助在的世界裡，人被
expected to sleep together long before marriage and desperately sought預計到一起睡覺，只要在結婚前和迫切要求
guidance about when and with whom.指導約時，以及與誰。

Evangelical leaders defend their stance by claiming that God doesn’t福音派領袖捍衛自己的立場，聲稱上帝不
change and that neither does sin.改變和也不單仲偕。 But sin does change.但單仲偕是否改變。 Slavery wasn’t奴隸制是不是
sin once.單仲偕一次。 Now it is.現在是。 Taking a wife and a concubine wasn’t sin once.採取了妻子和妾並非單一次。
Now it is.現在是。

And God – or our understanding of what God is, which is all we和上帝-或我們了解什麼是上帝，這是我們所有
actually have – changes, too.其實有-的變化，太。 When societies change, their當社會的變化，其
interpretations of God change.解釋上帝的改變。 Their readings of the Scripture shift.他們讀經文的轉變。
Human understandings are remolded so that faith can remain vital and人類的認識是改造，使信仰能保持活力和
effective during new times.有效期間，新的時代。

Whether evangelical intransigence is pleasing to God isn’t anything是否福音事工促進會，頑固是令人高興的上帝不是什麼
that humans can ever be absolutely sure of.人類以往任何時候都可以絕對肯定的。 If it is pleasing to him,如果令人高興的是，他說，
God may send a great revival that will sweep the country and restore上帝可能會派遣一個的偉大復興，這將打掃國家和恢復
them to their place of predominance.他們到地方的優勢。

Such revivals have happened before.這種復甦已發生之前。 They could happen again.他們可以再次發生。

But I’ve named only three of the ways that evangelical faith has come但我已經命名為只有三個途徑傳播福音的信仰已到
to seem less useful, necessary and vital to those who might benefit以似乎用處不大的，必要的和重要的那些誰可能會從中受益
from its teachings.從它的教義。 Evangelical faith is failing in so many other ways基督教的信仰是沒有在這麼多的其他方式
that a growing number of Christians believe a New Reformation is needed.是，越來越多的基督徒相信一個新的改革是必要的。

If they are correct, the Southern Baptist Convention is unlikely to如果他們是正確的，美南浸信會的公約是不可能
lead that reformation.帶頭改革。 Let’s hope it is at least around to participate.讓我們希望這是至少周圍的參與。