I feel opposing forces pulling on my heart as I read this book. One is enthusiasm. It shouts with excitement, “Go on, you Christians—spread the gospel!” The monumental pace at which early American Protestants proselytized in city, town, and countryside is truly remarkable.
The other force is skepticism. “It was all empty preaching—a zeal to grow a human movement, with little real commitment to teaching Christians how to live and grow in the faith after conversion,” it says with a sneer.
I’ve felt this conflict before. I’m afraid I don’t have many answers, only more questions.
Where does discipleship and Christian formation belong in the life of the Church? What is the purpose of the Church: to reach the lost or to grow believers in the faith? When does a zeal for evangelism become merely a zeal for growth? And what good is conversion if the convert is never taught how to follow Christ?
Daily thoughts on The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch.
