Reforming the Modern American Church

On October 31, 1517, German monk Martin Luther ignited a fire that forever changed the landscape of Christianity when he nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Luther boldly challenged the papacy and the entire theology of the Catholic Church at a time when doing so was considered heretical, and he did so being, as he would later state, bound by Scripture and captive to the Word of God. He saw a need for the church to undergo massive reformation, not for the sake of the church's glory but for the sake of God's glory. For far too long, in his estimation, the Roman Empire had promulgated their version of the gospel based on unbiblical ideas, and with this initial spark, Luther beckoned Christians to look to God and His Word for truth rather than to the Church that was littered with waywardness. From there, Protestantism was founded, and nowadays, approximately forty percent of the Christian population around the world identifies as Protestant.

Luther was a tool used by God to accomplish something extraordinary. Instead of rooting their faith in the ideas a central figure, Reformers like Luther built upon the foundation of Jesus, for it is only by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that all men and women can be saved. It was not about adhering to a particular religious framework or mindlessly following the elite of the faith; rather, it was about surrendering all to follow Jesus and obey God's Word. The Reformation that began on that fateful day in Germany was a movement determined to recapture the essence of biblical Christianity, and while the Reformers, like everyone else who has ever lived on planet Earth, were far from perfect, their passion for Scripture and for bringing God ultimate glory is inspiring even to this day.

For them, the Church that existed in their prism was in dire need of reforming since it had wandered too far away from the Bible and its teachings. This idea inspired me to consider today what, if anything, in the American church needs reforming for the sake of the purity of Christ's body and for the glory of God. In Luther's day, the need for reform was obvious, for the theology of Christianity was, in fact, misguided, to put it mildly. However, the need for reform in the modern era may not seem as obvious to many, but I will make the argument in the following paragraphs that the American church actually does need reforming in more subtle but nonetheless important ways. These are not in any order of importance, but instead, I have created a list of issues the Church in America simply needs to deal with one way or another. I may not have ninety-five theses (at least not yet...), but here are five ways I believe the Church must reform in America.

First of all, the plague of the prosperity gospel continues to sweep the nation, with pastors and teachers equating the American dream with the endgame of a relationship with God through Christ. This false narrative teaches that God wants His followers to experience their best life now with all the luxuries that can be afforded to them, and I fear many churches today have been led to think this is the Bible's stance on the Christian life as well. In an alarming study conducted by LifeWay Research, about one-third of American Protestant churches prominently teach the prosperity gospel. More than a few evangelical churchgoers have embraced this ideology that embraces American values more than biblical ones, and in the spirit of the Reformation, the Church in the United States must investigate what Scripture truly says about the benefits of following Christ-chiefly the forgiveness of sins and eternal life-instead of allowing influential Christian celebrities to contaminate their worldview.

Secondly, the Church must reckon with the fact that many are opting to deconstruct their faith and label themselves as "exvangelicals," citing issues with the Church and its members above all. Why are so many, usually younger people, no longer seeing a value in the corporate gathering and communal aspect of church? It is easy to lament the fact that the younger generations simply do not want anything to do with the Church, but the more difficult thing to do is to look in the proverbial mirror and try to ascertain why they want nothing to do with the Church. To many, churches in America have, from their perspective, failed to adequately follow in the footsteps of the New Testament Church, and there is present a disconnect between the traditional church and those looking to remove themselves from such a culture. This is a trend still in its infancy, to an extent, but it is a trend that is gaining traction with each passing day. The Church must reform in ways that directly addresses this issue instead of scoffing at these individuals who "do not know any better."

Thirdly, Christian nationalism continues to run rampant in American churches, with many churchgoers mistakenly equating their patriotism to godliness. Political idolatry has taken over numerous churches, especially in the politically charged times of the past few years, and these kinds of churches have become more known for their voting preferences than their gospel witness. While it is likely that no one will outright admit to being a Christian nationalist, they are nevertheless present in evangelical gatherings across the country, with some basically believing that God has a clear political affiliation when it comes to American matters. The Church's reform must come from the realization that our hope is not found in an elephant or a donkey but in the Lamb of God.

Fourthly, and perhaps integrally intertwined with the three previous points, biblical illiteracy has, unfortunately, become a defining characteristic of the American Church. I am afraid that many Christians in the United States today have lost the skill of critical thinking so much that they take the words of pastors, teachers, and religious influencers at face value and do not stop to think whether or not their words are properly aligned with Scripture. Their adherence to God's Word has become exclusively dependent with no sort of independent study taking place, and as a result, the overall knowledge of the Bible found in pews from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between has plummeted. The Church needs to change the way they view Scripture, seeing God's inerrant and infallible Word as the authority rather than a mere honorable figurehead.

Finally, the last need for reform I will mention today is the need for American churches to maintain an outward focus as much as they have traditionally maintained an inward focus. The primary reason so many churches in this nation are dead or dying is that we have valued the gathering so much that we have neglected the responsibility of then scattering to plant our gospel witness. Churches have simply become meeting places instead of send stations, and if the American Church genuinely wants to emulate the example set forth by the early church in the book of Acts, we must reform the way we understand the mission of the church. Yes, gathering is greatly important, but that is not the end all, be all purpose of Christ's body. The Church must also scatter to the communities and to the nations, not so that their attendance numbers would increase but that more may have an encounter with Almighty God.

There are probably a litany of other ideas I could come up with today regarding how the American Church needs to experience its own version of reformation, but for now, I believe these fives points will suffice for the sake of space and time. I am no Martin Luther, and I am not the son of a Martin Luther, but I love the Church and desire for her to bring God glory in everything she says and does. It does not take much of an investigation to uncover the reality that the American Church has failed to live up to God's standard for Christ's body in many different ways, but thankfully, where sin abounds, His grace abounds much more. If we want the Spirit to reform the Church, we must confess our sin, repent, and recommit ourselves to following Jesus. It is only through cooperate humility in submission to Christ as our head that reform can arrive at our front doors and overtake our sanctuaries.

For His glory,

Cody Fleenor

The Case for Expository Preaching

Currently, our church is studying Paul's first letter to Timothy on Sunday mornings together, and this past Sunday, we investigated chapter two in which the apostle notably gives instructions pertaining to how women should conduct themselves in the church. Such passages can make modern evangelicals bristle a bit, even if they are fully committed to the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture, as Paul and the Holy Spirit prohibit women from teaching men and indicate that women will be saved through childbearing. These kinds of verses will never be plastered on articles of clothing or coffee mugs, but they are included in the divinely inspired Word of God, so Christians must wrestle with them one way or another.

I will admit to you today that I would, more than likely, never willingly choose to preach from 1 Timothy 2 if we had not decided to preach through the entire epistle. For even lifelong theologians, this chapter, in particular, is difficult to interpret, and in today's day and age, there are so many varying thoughts regarding a woman's role in the body of Christ one must take into consideration when preaching from texts like this one or when engaging in general discussion on the matter. First Timothy 2 is, by no means, a straightforward passage of Scripture, which means that the preacher must be extra diligent to ensure that his proclamation of this chapter gets to the heart of God's instruction without allowing personal opinions or preferences to interfere in that process.

However, as I have been convicted of recently as I continue to mature in my faith and in ministry, a portion of the Bible being challenging to understand does not mean that the preacher should just outright avoid that portion in the pulpit. If we truly believe that God's Word is God's Word, then we should not shy away from certain texts simply because they buck up against societal norms or push us to our mental edge. After all, ministers of the gospel are called to preach the whole counsel of God without exception (see Acts 20:27). Thus, passages such as 1 Timothy 2 need to be proclaimed for the sake of doing just that and for the sake of possibly illuminating the minds of the congregation through the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.

This is why expository preaching is the best method of preaching. Expository preaching seeks to expose the true meaning of the biblical text within its proper historical and theological context in a chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse manner. Another term for this style of preaching is "text-driven preaching," which indicates that the biblical text guides the entire structure and message of the sermon. In essence, pastors who preach in this manner come to the biblical text first and proceed from there, asking the Lord to reveal to them what the Scripture is actually saying in a specific text. On the other hand, preparing a topical sermon requires the pastor to come to the biblical text only after developing a topic idea, which could result in the pastor's own thoughts being more prevalent in the sermon than the Bible. Expository preaching provides the preacher with a biblical springboard for dissecting a specific point whereas topical preaching provides the preacher with personal springboard for dissecting a specific point.

For instance, if a preacher favored the topical approach, they may desire one Sunday to preach on giving. The idea of "preaching on giving" is, therefore, the driving force behind their sermon, and they would naturally proceed to forming their sermon around this idea rather than on the biblical text itself. That does not mean they ignore the Bible altogether, but it means that the Bible is subservient to their own presuppositions. They may choose to preach from 2 Corinthians 9:7 where Paul states that "God loves a cheerful giver," but the topic was the springboard, not the text itself. Thus, this verse becomes a proof text for the pastor's idea, akin to how a college student may cite a book for his or her research paper's bibliography. The church may wonder why the preacher so randomly decided to preach on giving that Sunday, and disengagement may become a factor, as a result, because the congregation may feel like the pastor is preaching at them instead of for them. The message becomes "You need to give!" rather than "This is the Word of the Lord." The Bible should never be reduced to a proof text.

In expository preaching, though, the preacher has decided ahead of time that he is going to preach through the entirety of 2 Corinthians, allowing the text to lay the groundwork for each unique sermon in the series. When he comes to chapter nine, then, the message of giving is not viewed as random whatsoever, but rather, since it is the next logical chapter in the overall study of the epistle, listeners are more engaged with the content of the sermon as they continue to systematically and comprehensively understand all points of Paul in this letter instead of a singular point. Expository preaching starts and ends with the biblical text as the preacher expounds on the Spirit-inspired meaning of the passage at hand. The topic of the sermon flows from the Bible; the Bible does not flow from the sermon's topic.

To be clear, I am not against topical preaching when utilized appropriately by pastors on occasion, but I do believe that, in general, expository preaching is the most beneficial method of preaching because it elevates the Word of God above all else. If I were to randomly preach from 1 Timothy 2 one Sunday, I may get some raised eyebrows in concern as to why I chose this passage, but since we had established ahead of time that we would be studying 1 Timothy all the way through, chapter two's sermon was not random but sequential. Topical preaching has its place, but even when preaching topically, the preacher still must root his topic in Scripture so that the church is more amazed at God's Word than they are at an individual's speaking ability. The main result from any sermon should be that each person more readily comprehends the contents of the biblical text at hand, and if anyone has a different takeaway, the preacher has squandered a golden opportunity to do what he has ultimately been called to do: preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2).

I can firmly make the case for expository preaching because I believe the Bible makes the case for expository preaching. In the aforementioned exhortation of Paul to Timothy, he does not charge him with preaching topics or opinions, but rather, he is tasked with preaching the inerrant, infallible, and sufficient Word of God. The pulpit is the sacred place where God's messenger delivers God's message to God's people, and since God has spoken perfectly in His Word, the preacher must, in humility, fully submit to the authority of His Word in how they prepare and deliver the sermon. When individuals leave the church building, pastors, ensure that they are leaving with a better understanding of Scripture rather than a better understanding of your opinions, for it is only through the proclamation of the Word that lives can be changed.

At the end of the day, we need to preach the Word because it is "able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15b). Every page of Scripture echoes the name of Jesus, and when we declare the truth of the Bible in preaching, we invite congregants to fix their gaze exclusively on Him, who is the hope of the entire world. Through the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, in conjunction with scriptural proclamation, the hearts of sinners can be convicted and their eternal destiny can be changed forevermore. Pastor, when you stand behind the pulpit, preach the Word to reach the sinner. Preach the Word to plea with their wandering soul that they need Jesus and that He is the only way to heaven. Preach the Word so that God can be glorified and so that Christ can be exalting.

Why the Church Must Gather

At the end of September, I had the honor of attending Midwestern Seminary's annual For the Church conference in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a wonderful event that encouraged and challenged me in so many different ways pastorally and personally, and I am already looking forward to next year's gathering. Prior to one of the plenary sessions, a video was played talking about the church, and one idea stood out to me and has been simmering in my mind ever since. Unfortunately, I did not notice who uttered this statement, and I am not totally sure I am even quoting it perfectly, but he said something like...

"While the gospel can be declared through virtual church, the gospel can only be displayed through the gathered church."

In the early spring of 2020, whenever the Covid-19 pandemic began in the United States, churches around the country were faced with unprecedented challenges regarding how to safely conduct church services and activities. For many churches, the solution, at least in the short term, was to move their services to an online format only and to cancel all in-person activities for a specific period of time. I am sure that the pastors and church leaders making those initial decisions did not anticipate that we would be sitting here towards the end of 2021 still dealing with this virus, but nevertheless, here we are, and similar challenges persist. While churches have, for the most part, returned to regular in-person services, many churches are still trying to handle the fallout of numerous members and faithful attenders opting to continue worshipping exclusively online, if they decide to attend anywhere at all. It is the exception to the rule, unfortunately, to find churches that have seen attendance return to pre-pandemic levels ever since the fateful beginning of spring last calendar year, with most churches seeing a decline in attendance to some extent.

For nearly two years, virtual church has become more and more prevalent in the context of American Christianity, and while the gospel can indeed be declared through virtual church, as the statement above indicates, there is something inherently missing from virtual church. I acknowledge right away that virtual church served a necessary purpose in various stages of the pandemic due to the uncertainty of everything going on, and I would much rather someone attend a virtual church than to not attend church at all. However, we must not allow the pandemic to push us towards promoting virtual church more readily. While virtual church has its place and serves its purpose to certain groups of people (i.e. shut-ins, people in nursing homes, etc.), the virtual church should never replace or even be considered on an equal playing field to the gathered church.

To support such a claim, we need to start and end with what the inerrant and infallible Word of God. We are encouraged in the New Testament to "consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25, emphasis added). These verses highlight for us the draw we have towards meeting physically together with other brothers and sisters in Christ, for part of the benefit of the gathered church is the fellowship of the beloved. We see this example set forth by the early church as "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship..." (Acts 2:42a, emphasis added). A prioritization of the gathered church underscores the biblical reality that the Christian life is meant to be lived in community. Nowhere in Scripture will you find Christians who lived their lives as lone wolves, but rather, they all recognized their need to be "mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:12).

Moreover, whenever someone professes faith in Christ, they become a part of the body of Christ, and according to the Bible, every member of the body is crucial to the overall body's health and effectiveness. By the Spirit, every genuine follower of Jesus has been given special gifts by God, and these spiritual gifts are to be used within the context of the local church. Simply, using these gifts is not possible unless you attend the gathered church, for what gifts are required to tune in to Facebook every Sunday morning and watch a virtual service? Virtual church promotes a passive form of Christianity, whereas the Bible promotes the need for our faith to be filled with activity. Paul implores us this way: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them..." (Romans 12:6a). Only in the church gathered can spiritual gifts be used by believers "for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12b). Forsaking the utilization of our spiritual gifts is a trap many can and will fall into outside of the church gathered. The mutual encouragement of fellow believers towards love and good works is only possibly whenever Christ's followers recognize the need for the local church, gathered as one body under the headship of our Lord and Savior. The gospel is displayed whenever believers from all walks of life stand united in Christ in His body, and it's a beautiful display that serves as a witness for the rest of the world to see.

All in all, the biblical model of church necessitates that believers physically gather together. My intention with this post is not to condemn those who see a long-term value in virtual church, but based upon my own convictions, I see no other way of "doing church" than to gather with other brothers and sisters in Christ for the sake of the gospel. Obviously, the New Testament church did not have to contend with the advent of virtual church, but the principles of the authoritative Word of God are clear: the head of the church, Jesus, needs a body, and the body must gather in order to carry out the scriptural purpose of the church. Virtual church has had and will continue to have a place and will thrive for certain seasons, but we need to avoid the temptation to elevate this model of doing ministry to any unhealthy level. Covid may have forced our hand, in a sense, but virtual church does not need to become the norm in any capacity for the sake of sound ecclesiology. Virtual church creates church audiences instead of church families, consumers rather than congregants. From the pastors to the deacons to the laymen, we need fellowship, we need exhortation, we need accountability...we need the church, and the church needs us!