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One of the most common questions I receive from younger evangelicals is how to navigate conversations with their parents and mentors, who are more interested in discussing culture-war politics and internet conspiracy theories than matters of faith. These young individuals remain committed to their Christian beliefs, but they feel a sense of despair and cynicism about the future of the Church. Many of them have even stopped identifying as “evangelical” due to the association with political ideologies. Just recently, a pastor expressed to me, “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who sees that the Church is in crisis.”
And indeed, the Church is in crisis. As a conservative evangelical, I faced backlash from within my own community for opposing Donald Trump and taking positions on racial justice and Church sexual abuse. I never considered myself a “dissident,” but I found myself feeling like an outcast and ultimately left the Southern Baptist Convention, the world I had once loved.
I know that I am not alone in these struggles. It seems that almost every congregation is divided or on the verge of division due to the current state of politics. This should be a time for revival in our churches, a time for spiritual renewal. However, the idea of revival has become tainted and associated with the negative aspects of American evangelicalism. The concept has been turned into a market-driven program, reducing it to a mere spectacle rather than a genuine transformative experience.
Some evangelical Christians mistake revival for a return to a fictional “golden age.” In the past, leaders of the religious right even stated that their goal was to recreate a 1950s America, free from sexism and racism. But even those qualifiers have been abandoned. Surveys show that white evangelicals are particularly susceptible to white-nationalist ideas, and they reject basic principles of racial justice by labeling them as “critical race theory.” These same denominations that fail to address sexual abuse within their ranks are quick to condemn congregations that support women’s leadership.
However, the confusion between nostalgia and revival isn’t limited to right-wing evangelicalism. Mainstream evangelicals simply hoped to ride out the current state of disorder, believing that if they could make it past the political turmoil and various controversies, they would return to a time of stability. But that hasn’t happened.
In truth, the crisis facing evangelical America may not be a bad thing. Yes, there is fragmentation and division, but this is not necessarily negative. It is in the midst of chaos that we often find clarity. Our culture is also experiencing fragmentation, exacerbated by the breakdown of institutions and the rise of social media. However, we must remember that the problem with the Tower of Babel was not fragmentation; it was unity fueled by hubris. The confusion of languages and scattering of people was God’s doing. The answer is not to recreate the past, but to move forward into the unknown, just as Abram did.
The solution to the crisis of credibility within evangelical America is not to fight for control of the movement, with winners and losers. Historical examples show us that renewal movements can have an impact beyond their immediate circles. John and Charles Wesley didn’t set out to create Methodism; they simply sought to bring about renewal within the Church of England. Billy Graham faced rejection from fundamentalist groups but spread the message of the Gospel to millions.
The answer lies in recognizing that God is doing something new. The old alliances and coalitions are falling apart, and the disorientation and disillusionment that many Christians feel are part of the transformative process. The beauty of evangelical Christianity is that it doesn’t rely on certainty but embraces faith. Like the disciple Thomas, who was wrongly called a doubter, we must acknowledge that we don’t know the way, but we trust in God’s guidance.
Nostalgia, especially when wielded by demagogues and authoritarians, cannot preserve religious faith. It only leads to spiritual emptiness. What the Christian Church needs is a movement of people who remind us that there is hope for personal transformation, even in the midst of crisis.
C. S. Lewis cautioned against living in the past, noting that nostalgia for bygone moments can be comforting, as long as we recognize them as memories rather than blueprints. If we cling to the past and try to recreate it, we will be left with nothing. Instead, we must embrace the unknown and allow new growth to emerge.
If evangelicals ignore the crisis before us and focus solely on public relations to maintain outdated power structures, we will lose a whole generation of individuals who are searching for something different and transformative. But if we are willing to embrace the unknown and trust in God’s guidance, we may find revival in unexpected places.
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