American Christianity is in decline, but there is reason for hope, says Craig Van Gelder, Christian Reformed Church minister, author and professor who spoke this week at Phillips Theological Seminary.

Van Gelder said the vitality of Christianity has shifted to the Southern Hemisphere, where South America and Africa are experiencing a huge resurgence.

“The U.S. church is in the backwaters. Europe’s been there for some time,” Van Gelder said in an interview Tuesday after speaking at the two-day Re-Mind and Re-New Conference.

“These first two decades of the 21st century we’re in the midst of a huge shift; attendance is declining in the mainline churches, and even the evangelical churches and the mega-church movement are peaking,” he said.

“We’re living with a generation that’s been living without God, with no rational need for God. They’re highly spiritual, but they’re not religious.”

And American culture is less accepting of people of faith, he said.

“I call it cultural intimidation. The culture around us now is attempting to close us down, in terms of having the courage (to share faith).

“It’s almost like it’s out of vogue to speak directly about one’s faith or to invite someone to examine the faith possibilities,” he said.

The problem is exacerbated by people who share their faith in negative ways, he said.

“I’m often embarrassed by it. Particularly when you see people tie their religion to politics.

“But in the midst of that, the gospel is still the gospel. How do we, in a winsome way, invite people to discover the reality of a life of spirituality with the living God?”

Van Gelder said part of the answer to that question is recognizing that in a post-modern world, people are more open to stories than to theology.

“It’s one of the shifts, part of the post-modern culture,” he said. “We’re going back to narrative and story as a primary way of understanding. So much of our modern culture had to do with forming principles, coming up with truths, building confessions.

“In a story/narrative world, the doors are wide open to do faith sharing. It really has to do with inviting people to hear and enter into stories, whether it’s our faith story or journey or other stories.

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