EP63: The Decline and Fall of the Evangelical Empire - Gracearchy with Jim Babka

In 1994, Mark Noll wrote a book to encourage reform with his fellow evangelicals. He titled it, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind."  But the pews are emptying. A mass exodus is underway. And many observers say the real scandal is the political mind of the religious right.  Are the critics correct?  Bill Protzmann and I (Jim Babka) had a long, wide-ranging discussion.  And it led me to praise the burning down that's happening. I even call for the end of the institutional churches.  I grew up in fundamentalism. I admire the father who raised me that way. I recognize the good in the people still holding those views. This perspective-taking is an essential part of the practice of Grace.  It also means I'm in a unique position to offer an honest critique.  This VERY wide-ranging discussion goes through several historical touch-points, including the conservative evangelical approach to...  - Science (flood geology) - Politics (from Moral Majority to Ralph Reed) - Foreign Policy (dispensationalism, from Scofield to LaHaye) We also cover an event from 19 years ago that demonstrates just what a bad deal it was to sell out the kingdom for the pottage of politics. Yet, we are balanced enough to cover how the secular, political left contributes to the fears of evangelicals because too many people want to believe it's all one side's fault.  We fairly and justly explain the roots of fundamentalism, but not in a vacuum, because…  It not only doesn't have to be this way, but also the community of faith wasn't originally designed this way. We explain what happened and how we can live in a world that doesn't feature this fight.  OUTSIDE  If you're not a member of the evangelical camp, you'll come away with a better understanding of these people, your neighbors.  INSIDE As for the members of this tribe, who might be frightened by the subject matter, I empathize with your concerns. But don't you think you should be open and honest about why the younger generation is deconstructing, leaving the church, and ultimately departing the faith?  Pew, George Barna, and others have made you well aware. But almost every answer from inside the evangelical camp blames outsiders. But what about dealing with the eye beam?  INSIDE-OUT  If you already have a foot out the door, then maybe before you listened to this episode, you couldn't quite describe everything you were feeling.  *Well, this episode will be most comforting to you. I am a Done, as in done with attendance. I want you to know there is life and there is even faith after you leave this institution!* 0:43 The Dones with church  2:47 A target audience  3:46 Scandal of the Evangelical Mind   5:02 Understanding the fundamentalist mind  7:12 Shaming fundamentalism won't work 7:48 Flood geology created  9:03 Moral Majority invented  11:51 Dispensationalism and the Military-Industrial Complex 17:49 The escalation of conflict makes things worse  20:36 I was there - growing up fundamentalist  22:13 Grace to overcome Fear 25:16 We're not here to save the world  27:47 The first commitment is to the truth  29:04 Social philosophy with political implications  31:22 The pastor and the pornographer  32:15 AD 33 vs 500 AD 35:18 A meal, a family, and an ekklesia 37:45 Politics in the early church   39:21 Ralph Reed, Nothing new?  41:17 Detour: Guns, Bibles, and Antipathy  43:26 Returning to Ralph Reed  46:09 The Church Inc, part of the problem 48:41 Not patriotism, but a cross  50:20 No plan to run the lives of others  52:18 The Arlington Group conspiracy  55:00 The Word is a Who  59:12 Tell me more 1:02:07 If you're nearly DONE with church  National Day of Prayer doc on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80063867 Bill Protzmann is your moderator. ZeroAggressionProject.org is the sponsor. Thank you to Randy Garbin for our amazing thumbnails: Home Be grace-full to each other. We are grateful to Sergio at https://www.youtube.com/@KeysofMoonMusic for our intro theme. ► https://www.patreon.com/user?u=10500501