Some key “reform” events in the American church

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how different what seems to be turning into “mainstream” Christianity is than what it was even 5 or 10 years ago. I know that my perspective is very limited, and my own experiences have probably caused these changes to be very instrumental in my mind in large part. But, I would love to hear anyone else’s thoughts on these things.

1. “The New Calvinism” as one of the “10 Ideas Changing the World” in Time Magazine:
   In the circles I ran in as a much younger person, not only the ideas that “Calvinism” are based on but even the word itself was taboo. But, I wonder how much of what the “old” Calvinism was known for had actually led to many of those that I was around being very turned off by the ideas. Over the past several years, I’ve tried to stay up to date with how these ideas have slowly been influencing the church in America, but I was totally thrown off guard by this mention in this article.
2. Sam Storms becoming senior pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City:
   For me, this is very personal. For the most part, I grew up in OKC, and I still have a deep love for it. When I go back there I have a lot of great memories. When we moved to Seattle and back to OKC a few years ago, we were very sad that it was so hard to find what we believed to be a Bible-preaching, gospel-centered church. In some respects, we feel that we settled in to a few different churches, but we never felt “at home.” Yes, a lot of churches are doing a lot of great things, and maybe our own selfishness kept us from truly diving into what God was doing there already. But, I have spent a few years listening to and reading work from Sam Storms. He’s one of the more widely read, engaging (and humble) preachers alive right now. So, when I heard that he was taking this position, I was somewhat shocked but also very excited. I know that it isn’t about one man – God forgive us for any kind of “celebritizing” of preachers! But, I’ve also seen what God has done through the preaching of men like Matt Chandler, and I see a lot of hope not just for Bridgeway as a church but for the city as a whole. We’re also trying to convince Dr. Storms (who preferred that I call him Sam) that he should partner with Acts 29…
3. The Reason for God by Tim Keller:
   I guess it’s been over a year now since this book was released. But, I’ve personally been very influenced by many of the same thinkers who have influenced Dr. Keller, and who provide a lot of the foundation for this book. I think the days are slowly fading of trying to defend (prove?) Christianity according to modernist epistemology (i.e. the work of McDowell, Strobel, Hannegraaf, etc.), and this book is a huge step in the right direction. And, there’s a huge difference between a book being endorsed by some of the top Christian leaders in the world and being endorsed by “secular” organizations and thinkers. The former seem to be perfectly okay with thinking that doesn’t engage those outside the church, but the latter more often than not will ignore you simply based on the way that your message is presented. This book somehow engages all, and does so with a different brand of humility – the same humility that may have been hard to find in the “old Calvinism.”
4. Tullian Tchividjian becoming senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church:
   This is one of those events that I think will have far more ripples than any of the others. Again, not because Tullian is some kind of celebrity (read his new book and find out why he would despise anything like that). But, because that church, in my understanding, has been one of the key elements in the Religious Right movement that (I am thankful) is fading away. Thank God for the work of D. James Kennedy. But, the time for “taking America back for God” (and yes, that picture is from Coral Ridge) is gone. And, one of the first statements about this that I remember when I first heard about Tullian’s appointment was that he would not spend his time focusing on this useless endeavor. In his new book, he makes it clear that the political sphere is not the most strategic for truly making a lasting change in our culture.

I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts about any of these, or if you have any other events in recent history that you think will dramatically alter the landscape of Christianity in America.