The post-evangelical status happened slowly over the years as I began to see more and more clearly the lines between consumerism, narcissistic competition, feminism, political agenda, euphoric carnivals, men making rules and promises on behalf of God, misleading religious rhetoric, and real church.
What is real church? I believe it has been under our noses all along. Real church is real disciples with a real identity. It is not when when we imagine ourselves as disciples or imagine ourselves as being a community. The hip logos, the impossibly promising slogans and motto’s, beautiful graphics, professional presentations, trendy and high-tech temples, the smiling photo advertising, the “you”-centered marketing, the cliche rhetoric—that is but imagined community. Over time, it drains you of energy. When those things die, so does the community.
It is when we truly are disciples and truly are a community. The bond of brotherhood, true love, discipleship, devotion and suffering for one another, devotion to the scriptures, and devotion to Christ—that is real community. Over time, it sustains you with energy. It is indestructible. It can only die when its members die.
The question at hand is how to achieve this, and that is what this website, and the post-evangelical pursuit, is all about. The truth of the matter is, most Christians today are likely not interested in pursuing real community or are perhaps afraid of what it might mean for their lives, because after all, we are sheep and sheep prefer the comfort of following the status-quo. And in the American church real community is not exactly the status-quo. So until the imaginations of evangelical Christianity collapse, there may not be much that can be done. But for those out there who have decided to risk black-sheep status for the sake of the gospel, you are not alone–there are actually millions of you.
