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August 2nd, 2013
08:00 AM ET
Why millennials need the church
(CNN) - For a time, I counted myself among the spiritual but not religious, Christian but not churchgoing crowd. Like many millennials, I left church because I didn’t always see the compassion of Jesus there, and because my questions about faith and science, the Bible, homosexuality, and religious pluralism were met with shallow answers or hostility. At first I reveled in my newfound Sunday routine of sleeping in, sipping my coffee and yelling at Republicans who appeared on ”Meet the Press.” But eventually I returned, because, like it or not, we Christian millennials need the church just as much as the church needs us. Here’s why: Baptism As former Methodist bishop Will Willimon has often said, “you cannot very well baptize yourself.” In a culture that stresses individualism, the church satisfies the human need for community, for shared history and experiences. And in a world where technology enables millennials to connect only with those who are like-minded, baptism drags us - sometimes kicking and screaming as infants - into the large, dysfunctional and beautiful family of the church. Confession “Sin” is not a popular word these days, perhaps because it is so often invoked in the context of judgment and condemnation. But like all people, millennials need reminding now and then that the hate and violence we observe in the world is also present within ourselves. We can be too idealistic, too convinced we can change the world from our iPads. The accountability that comes from participation in a local church gives young Christians the chance to speak openly about our struggles with materialism, greed, gossip, anger, consumerism and pride. Healing While the flawed people who make up the church can certainly inflict pain on each other and sometimes on the world, we also engage in the important work of healing. At their best, local churches provide basements where AA groups can meet, living rooms where tough conversations about racial reconciliation occur, casseroles for the sick and shelter for the homeless. Millennials who have been hurt by the church may later find healing in it. Leadership Like a lot of millennials, I am deeply skeptical of authority - probably to a fault. But when I interact with people from my church who have a few years and a lot of maturity on me, I am reminded of how cool it is to have a free, built-in mentoring and accountability program just down the street. We can learn a lot from the faithful who have gone before us, and the church is where we find them. Communion One of the few things the modern church has in common with the ancient one is its celebration of the sacred meal— the Eucharist. There is simply not the space here, nor in many volumes of theology for that matter, to unpack the significance of remembering Jesus through eating bread and drinking wine. But when I left the church, it was Communion I craved the most. Churches may disagree on exactly how Christ is present in these sacred meals, but we agree that Christ is present. And millennials, too, long for that presence. There are some days when the promise of Communion is the only thing that rouses me from bed on Sunday morning. I want a taste of that mystery. Confirmation Many churches practice a rite of initiation, sometimes called confirmation. Theologian Lauren Winner, in her book “Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis,” quotes a friend who said: “What you promise when you are confirmed is not that you will believe this forever. What you promise when you are confirmed is that that is the story you will wrestle with forever.” The church, at its best, provides a safe place in which to wrestle with this story we call the Gospel. Union with Christ Those who follow Jesus long for the day when their communion with him becomes complete, and Jesus promises this will happen through the church. The apostle Paul compared this union to a marriage. Jesus describes it as a banquet. No matter what the latest stats or studies say, Christians believe the future of the church is secure and not even “the gates of hell” will prevail against it. As much as I may struggle to fit in sometimes, as much as I doubt, question and fight for reforms, I am a part of this church, through good times and bad, for better or worse. The astute reader will notice that each of these points corresponds loosely with a sacrament—baptism, confession, the anointing of the sick, holy orders, communion, confirmation and marriage. Some would say there are many others. We could speak of the sacrament of the Word or the washing of feet. But even where they are not formally observed, these sacraments are present in some form in nearly every group of people who gather together in the name of Jesus. They connect us to our faith through things we can eat, touch, smell and feel. And they connect us with one another. They remind us, as writer and Episcopal priest Sara Miles put it, that “You can’t be a Christian by yourself.” This is why I haven’t given up on the church, and I suspect why it hasn't given up on me. Rachel Held Evans is the author of "Evolving in Monkey Town" and "A Year of Biblical Womanhood." She blogs at rachelheldevans.com. The views expressed in this column belong to her. Evans has written two previous posts for CNN's Belief Blog: Why millennials are leaving the church; and Not all religious convictions are written in stone. [twitter-follow screen_name='RachelHeldEvans'] soundoff (4,825 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Opinion by Rachel Held Evans, special to CNN
How Depression Stole and then Returned my Life
By God
A true book of pretend realities about not recovering from the depression that never left.
Since the Earth is fixed and is not a "planet", then we can have a better understanding of what Christ was saying in Mat 13;
"He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."
Illuminating.
'sup 'kira?
Indeed. When Christ resurrects the just and ushers them into the Morning Star, it will certainly be illuminating. Then Earth will be burned up and dissolved, but this is not the end.....
..this is not the end of what buck?
His plan to save the world.
If it's all part of a plan, then free will has been thrown away. You can't have both. So which is it? Are we free to choose, or are our choices already known and what we do is irrelevant because it's already factored into this "plan"?
The Earth is fixed and is not a planet? That's news to me. It's claims like these which are driving young educated people such as myself away from the church by the droves. Our scientific knowledge of the universe has evolved substantially, but the church cannot accept scientific facts, because it insists on accepting an ancient text as absolute truth.
Ryan, the Copernican system is a myth and Nick himself said that it "does not explain what is actually observed". The Tychonian system is still the most accurate. Even Galileo admitted to the falsehood of the Copernican model, which by the way requires a reversal of the moon and a 3-4 day lunar eclipse each month – both of which are not observed, i.e. non-scientific.
Actually, what you said about folks leaving the church is the last days is in the Bible. And here we are.....
Clearly you are joking. I take it you are playing the role of extremist Christian to parody how ignorant they are and see people's reactions?
Solve a layer of physics down to the next level and you are in a different universe. Solve new laws of physics and you advance again. New universes are infinite.
The trigger: when enough multi-verses are normalized, they intersect. There is no “science” to it. Change 0 and you have found another universe. In other words, 1 is now zero. New universe.
Forget about all that imagine science stuff apple. Real science is on the way.
It seems that you are stuck in terminologies that have been belched out from case hardened scientists unwilling to conceive the very real plausibility that there are unknown amounts of Big Bangs giving births to multiple sections of this great and vast cosmos which started out as Nothingness... Maybe..?
Sci-Fi inspires!!
science fiction is what you have.
@lamelionheart
No, you are wrong. Anything is possible. It is fun to think.
Science and math say you are wrong apple.
So what she's saying is that people need the sense of community and solidarity that comes with shared rituals.
That's what Thanksgiving, ComicCon and pro sports fandom are for, isn't it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cMYSWiPm7E0
More cowbell.
Someone had to say it.
The majority of those are unnecessary and only make the deluded feel good because it feeds their delusion. The rest can be achieved without giving up logic and actually thinking for feel good fairy tales.
A man once achieved notoriety when he plastered the walls, ceiling and floor of an entire room with memorabilia from his life. The most sacred of all life’s moments were represented. Birth, marriage, death.
When he sold the house a few weeks later, he was asked why.
The man said, “Because I want to see how the new owners will choose to decorate the room.” He snapped a photograph of the house and walked away.
No one stops to think that there are over 5 BILLION people on this planet who get by just fine without the "babble" ..oops I mean Bible ... no one needs any kind of church .. but churches need the money from anyone they can sink their mythology into ... if churches are doing "god's work", then they are working for "god", right? Ok then, let "god" pay them directly instead. Then we'll see just how long churches last
If you can't spell God or Bible correctly why would anyone give your opinion any consideration?
If you can't read well enough to notice that he did spell Bible correctly, why would anyone give yours any consideration?
If you are flying in a VW Beatle at the speed of light and you approach the event horizon of a black hole and turn on your lights, will your radio find any English stations?
Yea, but they only play Janis Joplin songs.
And a little Country Joe...
a little "Canned Heat" might go nicely with that as well 🙂
I will through in T-Rex and Woody Guthrie Jr.
A black hole is the outcome of a mathematical error dependent upon the photon;s imaginary mass.
Would you like to explain that, John P? Especially how a photon obtains mass?
Good observation, Mirosal is an embarrassment even to its own kind.
It took it two trys to come up with a credible spelling, not exactly genius caliber but acceptable to you i suppose.
Tries, not try's.
Oh., you want a credible spelling of your big book of fables? Very well, let's try "buy-bull", because you've bought into all the bull that the book has to offer. It's just empty words with nothing to back it up.
And, the word "I" should be capitalized kid. If you're going to be a spelling Nazi, you should actually learn to spell.
I ma quite capable of spelling the words "god" and "bible" correctly. The bible is full of babble, hence that little twist. And as far as the word "god", it's a fairly easy one to spell. Anything else you'd care to be slapped around with?
You have already made an ass of yourself, now you are just embarrassing yourself.
Observer, you've already made an ass of yourself by misspelling "tries."
I don't think we'll hear any more from observer for a while.
Observer and Colin are not the usual posters with those handles.
You are correct.
I spent $10 for a bible, best money I ever spent. No other book matches it for value or content. It's worth an eternity of treasure, if you believe God and read it, accept Jesus having died for your sins, repent, and do the will of God.
$10... and I could have gotten one for free.
$10 that you could have used for a useful purpose ... see how religion just bilks you without you even knowing you're doing it? Best scam in history
The men that wrote it, 39 of them, are physically dead. Many of them died while telling others about God. Paul for example was going to his death in his final letter to his son, in the bible. Anyone writing their final letter before their death, to their son, would be about as honest as someone could be... and he held fast to believing Jesus... and went to his death saying it.
They described all kinds of interactions with God in the bible, over centuries of time, a lot of witnesses, kings, prophets, scribes, apostles, and people they were writing to writing letters back. They told the truth, God exists.
required,
Lots of nutters write final letters:
Have you ever seen David Koresh's final "letter" - it's a manifesto, in fact. He was nuts.
–http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/text/religion/koresh/Koresh%20Seals
Maurice Applewhite of the Heaven's Gate cult wrote a final letter too - he even made a video. He was nuts.
-
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/March-April-08/On-this-Day–39-Heaven-s-Gate-Cult-Members-Found-Dead-after-Mass-Suicide.html
(and these are just two of the more famous recent ones - lots more out there)
You think that Paul of Tarsus had an illegitimate son? No, it was just a guy he was fond of.
There are things in the bible that are absolutely convincing in and of themselves, God's words, 100% convincing that he is there. But in Paul's case, you have this:
– Paul sees a brillant light, only Paul sees it
– Paul is blinded for days after
– All with Paul see nothing out of the ordinary
– Everyone hears Jesus talking
That's very telling, it's self proving. Any author of that day would not make up a claim like that for an act of God. The claim would be boosted to the limit, everyone seeing the light, some dying from it... but they're clueless as to it happening, they just hear Jesus.
God can do that, he can put sight right into someone, or hearing, or both at the same time. The ones hearing but not seeing, they got just the words, sound. Paul got sound, but he's being blinded by light right into his eyes.
It's too 'technical' for a text of that era, splitting up sight and sound as components that some get, others don't, like they're not fully connected to what's happening right in front of them, one part missing... the visual.
There's things like that in there that say it's from God, the 39 witnesses over centuries all saying the same things, it's too close of a match, all saying the same God, all saying the miracles over time, including Kings, prophets, scribes, priests, apostles, followers of Jesus, and Jesus himself. They're all eye witnesses, spiritual witnesses, of God's spirit.
required,
- There were more than 39 authors - nobody knows exactly who wrote many of those books, and some were probably written by multiple authors (or even by a committee). Kings and priests? Yeah, and ethnocentric zealots and drama queens.
- Don't you think that the author(s) of Malachi, for example, studied all of the books that preceded it - of course they're going to follow the basic elements of the previous stories.
- The books you see in your Bible today were chosen specifically because they did agree with the "party line" of the early Church. There are all sorts of other ancient writings by the Israelites and others that didn't make the cut. Revelation almost didn't make it - there were bitter battles for years over its adoption. The original Catholic Bible had 73 books, you know.. 7 were dropped by the Protestants.
- As for Paul's story - not a shred of verified evidence for it.
You spent ten dollars for a bible? That money would have bought a lot of toilet paper, a far more useful commodity.
The bible can be used as toilet paper. It's already full of what you'd be wiping off though, so be careful.
Words on paper are relatively permenant. Old bibles from centuries ago, in museums saying what needed to be said... that God knew, before they did.
Only $10.
And the paper is much softer.
The bible is a luxury, worth more than fine gold, truck loads of it... all of it, anywhere. That's why they were willing to die rather than deny God, because they knew it's the truth. They knew it.
in order to repent, you have to believe you deserve hell, that you were born damaged. i cannot bring myself to believe such tripe, if you want to do so, have at it. beat yourself, flog yourself.....do it for jeebus
In order to repent, you first must have pented. Until you pent, you can't repent. There is a logical order to things.
Do millennials believe in the fake moon landings? Or do they realize that landing on the moon in '69 via a 'three-foil-thick' tin-can is comical?
http://apolloscam.atspace.co.uk
http://heiwaco.tripod.com/moontravel.htm
http://www.fountainsofthegreatdeep.com/IFS.htm
Really? You fell for that claptrap?
"It turns out that the exterior portions of the lunar module were made up of mylar and cellophane put together with scotch tape and staples. We had to have pads on the floor because if you dropped a screwdriver it would go right through the floor. Holy Christmas and we're going to try and fly this thing?" Apollo 9 astro-actor Jim McDivitt
Kid, we now have photos from orbit of the lunar landing site. And you can still bounce a laser off the reflector that they left behind.
Idiot.
Thanks for the laugh, Buck.
Here are the premises that I base my conclusion upon for the Biblical God / Jesus.
Natural Origins or Supernatural Origins?
__ a) Matter, energy and time exist. Where did they come from? There is not currently a naturalistic explanation
that only has supporting evidence for this issue.
__ b) Life exist. Where did it come from? There is not currently a naturalistic explanation that has
supporting evidence for this issue.
Therefore, this implies some supernatural being or event is necessary.
Which supernatural being or event answers the above issue?
__ a) Multiple religions address the creation of life, but only three begin with the creation of matter, energy
and time.
__ b) Given the Biblical account that begins with the creation of matter, energy and time,
__ c) Given no other religions (other than the Abrahamic branches) begins with the creation of matter, energy and
time,
Therefore, only the Abrahamic religions answer both of the basic issues.
Did the Judaism God Do It?
__ a) Given accurate transmission of the Jewish Bible,
__ b) Given the fulfillment of foretold specific prophecies (incl: Eze 37) in the Jewish Bible
Therefore, the God of the Jews is a viable contender.
Did the Islamic God Do It?
__ a) Given inaccurate transmission of the Koran Bible,
__ b) Given the factual inaccuracies (i.e. members of the Trinity)
__ c) Given the lack of specific prophecies in the Koran
Therefore, the God of the Muslims is not a viable contender.
Did the Christian God Do It?
__ a) Given accurate transmission of the Christian Bible (i.e. Jewish / OT and NT),
__ b) Given the fulfillment of foretold specific prophecies (incl: Eze 37, Rev 13) in the Christian Bible
Therefore, the God of the Christian is a viable contender. Since it includes the Jewish beliefs as well, it is
the better answer.
Oh look, the freak, Llie4 is back.
Your conclusion pre-supposes a deity from the very start. You start with the premise that since science "doesn't know" where the universe and life in that universe came from (hint: there are theories for both that do not require a "first cause") "god must have done it."
The logical assumption would be to add a "yet" to the end of "science doesn't know" rather than to assume that it can't or won't or requires a "god in the gaps."
Going on, your premise shows an ignorance of non-abrahamic religions. Therefor, the rest of your arguments will suffer from the same flaw. Sorry, but the logical fallacy comes from your own ignorance.
The fallacy of your final arguments is that you assume they are "different" "gods" in the Koran and Torah. The New Testament does not have it's own separate deity.
Enjoy your faith, but starting out with "science doesn't answer x question, therefor deity" is based on ignorance bot logic.
@Mike : 'You start with the premise that since science "doesn't know"'
That is a known fact.
@Mike : there are theories for both
Yes, some scientists have FAITH that their theories are truth – but they lack evidence when viewed holistically
@Mike : The logical assumption would be to add a "yet" to the end of "science doesn't know"
And you have FAITH that they will find it someday. You have your faith and I have mine.
@Mike : your premise shows an ignorance of non-abrahamic religions. ... Sorry, but the logical fallacy
Your ad hominem is the logic fallacy.
@Mike : The fallacy of your final arguments is that you assume they are "different" "gods" in the Koran and Torah.
Go back and re-read my post. I acknowledge that the God of the OT (i.e. Torah) is one and the same as the NT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=A-7uwshsfFI
If you really think that the Islamic god is different than the Jewish/Christian god, then you are really as uneducated as your posts make you out to be. ALL THREE have the exact same sky-fairy to believe in. And, like all other gods, there is as much evidence to support yours existing as there is to say Zeus exists
@Gadflie : the arguments for that are nothing but an obvious logical fallacy (argumentum ad ignorantiam)
Sorry, but you obviously don't understand logic. You start with known facts: Science doesn't claim to have an answer and the Bible does. Therefore, the ad ignorantiam doesn't apply.
Science does not claim to have the answer, but we are always looking and researching. You claim your book has the answers. Very well then, please provide your credible evidence that it really was YOUR god that did it. List your sources, experiments, and peer reviewed studies
Atheists use science from the 19th century instead of the creationist science of QM and relativity. The atheist nut jobs at Wiki have a fake definition of relativity up, so they can pretend the big bang is still science.
Right, John P, right you are, no question. And you call yourself an engineer.
The atheist nut jobs at Wiki have a fake definition of relativity up right now, so they can pretend the big bang is real.
Live, since your entire argument is based on your first premise, and the arguments for that are nothing but an obvious logical fallacy (argumentum ad ignorantiam), your entire argument falls apart.
Sorry- posted to the wrong person.
@Gadflie : the arguments for that are nothing but an obvious logical fallacy (argumentum ad ignorantiam)
Sorry, but you obviously don't understand logic. You start with known facts: Science doesn't claim to have an answer and the Bible does. Therefore, the ad ignorantiam doesn't apply.
Lie4Him,
The bible may claim to have answers but it really doesn't; its creation myths are disproven. Very little is verified. Big fail. No evidence for a god.
You should look up the fallacy before you pretend to reply to it. I recommend you do so, then you will see why your argument is laughable. And, since the claimed answer by religion is one that, in spite of being used as an answer for many ,many questions over the course of history, has NEVER been shown to be correct, pretending that it carries any weight is just that, pretending.
Lie4Him
Did you archive Chad's oldDid the Islamic God Do It?
__ a) Given inaccurate transmission of the Koran Bible,
__ b) Given the factual inaccuracies posts?
Matter, energy, and time came from the singularity of the Big Bang. Just because we don't know any more does not mean that a god did it.
Several experiments have shown in principle how life could have originated from the elements and environment known to exist. Your conclusion is invalid – no need for some supernatural being or event.
What about for example Shinto or Hinduism do you find implausible that causes you to conclude that your religion is more accurate?
What examples do you have that the Koran has more transmission errors than the bible? The bible has plenty. The Koran being newer is less likely to have more.
The bible has many transmission errors, and the NT was written to fulfill the prophecies of the OT.
No god needed. No evidence of a god. No evidence for your god.
Using your messed up thinking – where did God come from?
Read Dawkins for a detailed analysis of such arguments. You may learn something.
What a creepy advertisement for an outdated, sub-logical tradition of hate and fear. Way to go, tool.
Any book with talking animals in it is a fairy tale.
That includes the bible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b6UAYGxiRwU
All animals communicate. What you lack is the ability to understand nature.
We know, your gerbil is a liar.
As long as they continue to cherry pick all the good stuff to believe in while conveniently ignoring the bad stuff like slavery and racism, I can care less what they do with their religion.
Can care less, or can't care less? I'm confused.
If you're confused over that, I can't help you.
People who like church go. People who don't stay home.
If I had a shoe string I would make it a yo yo
If I had a yo yo I would tie a string to it
If I was me, I would make me into a yo yo with a string attached to it and practice
Google "Why millennials and smart people are leaving the church dr. turi" to read the facts!
Christians come on these blogs to spread the Truth. God gave us His message in His gift to us, the Holy Bible. I keep the flea shampoo in the shower now. Read the Bible and know the Truth. Paradise awaits.
Amen
And according to the new Pope, even I, a secular Jew, can get in! 🙂
So you have fleas?
I think everyone should quit church, because all religions are a bunch of made-up garbage.
Welcome seeker.
I agree. This headline should read : "Why the church desperately needs more young people to brainwash"
No, the headline should read,
"I'm so sorry I spoke the truth last week about Millennials leaving Evangelical Protestantism behind" – Rachel Held Evans
"Those who follow Jesus long for the day when their communion with him becomes complete, and Jesus promises this will happen through the church."
This is just insane. It sounds insane because it IS insane. Science sounds insane until it's confronted and proof given; this is just insane until you become insane like it.
Yes, you CAN be a True Christian by yourself, in this Final Age,
by truthfully using your own Eyes, Ears, and Mind.
http://www.holy-19-harvest.com
UNIVERSAL MAGNIFICENT MIRACLES