In his important new magnum opus, A Thicker Jesus, my friend Glen Stassen suggests that Christianity is ill in America, but in two very different ways.
One form of Christianity is ill, according to Stassen, because it is essentially theologically and ethically vacuous and fails to make concrete demands of its adherents. These are churches that seek above all “to avoid offending any members, and to steer clear of controversial issues and confrontations.” The gospel is reduced to the private realm and ethics is reduced to general principles. “These churches fail to confront members in ways that provide the guidance we need in our lives, and they avoid addressing injustices and problems that threaten us.” They “lack the depth of commitment and the vigor they need to avoid the decline and decay that constitute a growing crisis” (all quotes, p. 6).
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