Many people are interested in Christian history, and that is likely why you read my posts and listen to my podcast. When we think of history, we think of the early church or the Reformation or the Great Awakening(s).
What we often forget is that we are in the midst of church history right now. There will be people writing dissertations and articles on the seismic changes we are seeing in this moment of time.
This is a time when the church in the west is still wrestling with existing in a post-Christian culture. Denominations are splitting over positions on 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion. Some segments of the church are aligning themselves closely with political parties. The largest concentrations of Christians are no longer in North America and Western Europe but in South America, Africa, and China.
Everything is changing right now for the Christian church and we are watching history happen right in front of our eyes.
The Christian Church is going to look a lot different in 2040 than it did in 2000 and we are seeing that shift right now. It is difficult to predict what that future will look like. Remember when some were saying that the emergent church was the future of the Church?
Some movements might merge. Some movements might split. There may be new expressions of church. There may be a return to old expressions of church.
The point is that history is not something that happened a century ago. History is right now.
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