Any time a society attempted to place Christ in the center, they subtly turned the idea of Christ into an idol. Think of the “holy Roman Empire” and all of the resulting nations. A Christ who favors any nation besides the distinct Kingdom of God is not the Jesus of the New Testament.

There’s a song that has made its rounds in the evangelical church circuit called “Our God Is Greater.” This song is commendable on many levels. First, the melody is catchy. If you haven’t listened to or sung this worship tune, you can check it out here.

Second, it’s a song with lyrics that are all quite true. Here’s the chorus:

Our God is greater.

Our God is stronger.

God, you are higher than any other.*

Our God is a healer,

awesome in power.

Our God! Our God!

I agree with every line of this song. Nothing about it is theologically untrue in any way. But I think singing “Our God Is Greater” might make God seem less great.

Culture is evolving. Christianity no longer occupies the center of public discourse. The civil religion of the American empire used to be “Christian,” but the truth of the matter is that our society (like the rest of the West) is in the transition toward post-Christendom. Stuart Murray, Juliet Kilpin, and others at Urban Expression (a church-planting initiative that I’m connected to)  [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.] say the following about post-Christendom:

“Post-Christendom is the culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses coherence within a society that has been definitively shaped by the Christian story and as the institutions that have been developed to express Christian convictions decline in influence.”

With that basic definition, here are some of the major transitions that take place culturally as post-Christendom takes root:

From the center to the margins: In Christendom, the Christian story and the churches were central, but in post-Christendom these are marginal.

From the majority to the minority: In Christendom, Christians comprised the (often overwhelming) majority, but in post-Christendom we are a minority.

From settlers to sojourners: In Christendom, Christians felt at home in a culture shaped by their story, but in post-Christendom we are aliens, exiles and pilgrims in a culture where we no longer feel at home.

From privilege to plurality: In Christendom, Christians enjoyed many privileges, but in post-Christendom we are one community among many in a plural society.

From control to witness: In Christendom, churches could exert control over society, but in post-Christendom we exercise influence only through witnessing to our story and its implications.

From maintenance to mission: In Christendom, the emphasis was on maintaining a supposedly Christian status quo, but in post-Christendom it is on mission within a contested environment.

From institution to movement: In Christendom, churches operated mainly in institutional mode, but in post-Christendom it must become again a Christian movement.

Among American evangelical leaders, push-back is common when confronted with a list like this. One need only to recognize that these things are beginning to happen in our context as they did in places like England to realize we are headed in a post-Christendom direction. Although we never had an “official” state church, we have had a cultural civil religion that uses Christian language to support imperialistic aims. This too fades, as America no longer is comprised of only Christian religions. Our country is pluralistic.

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