News Mainline Protestants: Vintage or vibrant? H
alf a century ago, the denomina- tions under the mainline umbrella dominated the American faith land- scape. Now, after decades of declin- ing numbers, only about one in five U.S. adults identifies with a mainline denomination such as the ELCA, United Methodists, the Episco- pal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and American Baptists. In a recent issue of Christian Cen-
tury, scholar and Presbyterian pastor Carol Howard Merritt asks whether replacing the word “mainline” in the Protestant name might help stem the slide. Merritt called for a brand that conveys her view of the mainline’s rising diversity and social justice leadership.
DREAMS
“The image of an all-white, elit- ist church is not going to fly for gen- erations to come,” said Merritt, who lives in Chattanooga, Tenn. “ ‘Main- line’ was a good historic marker, but the future needs to reflect who we are now.” (Tradition holds that the term “mainline” was born in the tony sub- urbs just outside Philadelphia, along the Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line, that defined the mostly white, mostly affluent churches in the area.) More than 200 people responded to an informal survey by Religion News Service. Comments ranged from theological to historical, seri- ous to snarky. “Liberal church” led with 24 per- cent of the votes. But the word car-
ried a double whammy. Some liked the social and political connotation. Others used “liberal” as a slam on a church they thought was too loose on doctrines of sin and salvation. Mer- ritt said she preferred “liberationist church … because it taps into the good news that our beliefs lead us to seek liberation for all the oppressed, to expand freedom for all.” Next, at 17 percent, were those who said labels just don’t work for religious distinctions anymore. National surveys find growing num- bers just want to call themselves “Christian.” “Grandma’s church” drew only 3 percent of votes despite its ring of truth: It has the greatest percentage of members age 65 and older of any Christian tradition. “Old line” drew 6 percent.
VISIONS
Proclaim Retreat for LGBTQ leaders
May 4-7, 2014
Most folks—a plurality, or 46 per- cent—preferred their own picks. Merritt ultimately came up with her own first choice: “social justice Christian.” To her, it conveys “the exciting and vibrant thought that has come out of our tradition in the last hundred years or so (to) … proclaim the good news that leads us to libera- tion and salvation.”
10 Learn more at
www.elm.org 12 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Thank you to the Philip N. Knutson Endowment at St. Olaf College for your support of
Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries
has sent President Barack Obama over the years. DuBois, who left his White House post in February, drew from Scripture, the songs of Nina Simone and Bob Dylan, and the activism of Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. “I think the ones that have been most useful … focused on knowing God’s love for us, knowing how to love our neigh- bors and knowing how to start each day with peace and joy,” he said.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52