By Greg Forster: part ten of a series. In my last post I talked about how the underlying theology of accommodation paradigm churches leads to pseudo-pragmatism. Here are three specific ways accommodation paradigm churches can overcome this: The Past: One of the clearest identifying marks of the three paradigms is how they think about the American experiment in freedom and…
By Greg Forster: part nine of a series. “Making it easy to find and follow Jesus.” This is the slogan my accommodation paradigm church used for several years to summarize its mission. It should, of course, be easy to find Jesus. But to follow Jesus? Not so much. It’s along the same lines as the initial advertisements this church was…
By Greg Forster: part eight of a series. I believe I have discovered the secret of accommodation paradigm churches. They are not marketing gimmicks. They are spiritual reclamation projects. They make the transformative grace of God imaginable to those for whom grace has become unimaginable. The faith and work movement needs to engage in similar reclamation just as much as it…
By Greg Forster: part seven of a series. In my last post I talked about how the underlying theology of fortification paradigm churches leads to cultural puritanism. Here are three specific ways fortification paradigm churches can overcome this: The Past: Where dominance paradigm churches overestimate both the moral and religious integrity of the American experiment, fortification churches tend to underestimate…
By Greg Forster; part six of a series. “They told us, ‘this is our culture,’ but we told them, ‘this is God’s word.’” I was hearing a talk from a leader in the fortification-paradigm church I used to attend. As I stressed in my last post, this church did a great job of helping people overcome addictions and enslaving sins.…
By Greg Forster; part five of a series. “Three years ago, when I first came to this church, I didn’t have a job. I lived off my girlfriend. I spent all my time sitting on the couch, eating junk food and watching porn – and that was my life. Today I have a job, I’m supporting myself, I don’t do that other…
By Greg Forster: part four of a series. In my last post I talked about how the underlying theology of dominance paradigm churches leads to practical deism. Here are three specific ways dominance paradigm churches can overcome this: The Past: Dominance paradigm churches overestimate both the moral and religious integrity of the American past. There is, to be sure, much that…
By Greg Forster; part three of a series. “I just don’t understand it,” the world-famous culture war pastor said to me. His voice was soft, his head cast down, his tone sorrowful. “I don’t question that they’re believers. They are. I know they are. But I just don’t understand how anyone who believes in Jesus could vote for politicians who…
By Greg Forster; part two of a series. One of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had was teaching Sunday school classes on theology and politics in one of America’s most firmly “dominance paradigm” churches – the kind of church that has a culture warrior mentality. Even where churches have more recently turned away from the culture war as such,…
By Greg Forster; part one of a series. “The Three Kingdoms” can refer to the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. It can refer to the tripartite division of China in the third century. But I’m using it to refer to three inadequate ways modern American churches approach the kingdom of God and its relationship to the kingdoms of human civilization…
The Green Room 