The Coming Evangelical Collapse

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Oliver' post='1803669' date='Mar 11 2009, 12:38 PM']Wouldnt it be amazing if christianity was united under the catholic church?[/quote]

It already is... even if some half of the world's Christians believe otherwise.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1803671' date='Mar 11 2009, 12:38 PM']I know what you mean, but you're looking at Protestantism through the lens of modern popular Catholic apologists instead of from the perspective of Evangelicals today, and if we're going to talk about the future of Evangelicalism, we should at least address it from their perspective.
In other words, Rick Warren is an orthodox Evangelical; Bishop Katherine Jefforts-Schori not so much.[/quote]

No I'm viewing them from the catholic prospective. They are faithful to their particular evangelical version of biblical truth, and I commend their conservative outlook, but they have no authority to back them up.
I have read stuff from this person and the lady bishop hasn't an orthodox bone in her body. Reminds me of some sisters I know.

[Ziggamafu]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1803644' date='Mar 11 2009, 10:04 AM']Unfortunately, in the South, all the parents and the youth themselves expect the Catholic youth group to try to be "on par" with the Protestant groups. As a consequence, I've tried warning my people of the exact same thing, but have had few positive results, as my kids go to and from youth group based solely on feelings. So my efforts to catechize with orthodoxy had been ridiculed, but in 10 years, I'll look like a genius!

[/quote]

YES.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' post='1803611' date='Mar 11 2009, 08:51 AM']I don't understand why this author thinks that Evangelical Christianity will be hit but Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy will grow.....[/quote]

It has to do with foundations. Any house can stand in a calm, but in a storm or with a heavy burden, then you test the foundation. Fr. Ron Rolheiser's book, "The Holy Longing" has a section that explains this scenario better than I ever could.

[Church Punk]

I thought that most of these evangelicals believe that the rapture is coming to save them before this all happens? They escape the tribulation remember?

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1803689' date='Mar 11 2009, 12:57 PM']No I'm viewing them from the catholic prospective. They are faithful to their particular evangelical version of biblical truth, and I commend their conservative outlook, but they have no authority to back them up.[/quote]

It was clear from my context and the fact that we're discussing an article about Evangelicalism that I was referring to orthodox Evangelicalism, not orthodox Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy.

Evangelicals do rest themselves securely on the authority of Sacred Scripture and they benefit from the graces of Baptism and Marriage, not to mention the many ways grace works outside of the sacraments.

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1803723' date='Mar 11 2009, 02:02 PM']It has to do with foundations. Any house can stand in a calm, but in a storm or with a heavy burden, then you test the foundation. Fr. Ron Rolheiser's book, "The Holy Longing" has a section that explains this scenario better than I ever could.[/quote]

However, I believe it's safe to assume the author is a Christian Scientist, so he's not looking at Catholicism from a faith perspective. Sounds like he's just taking trends from the past couple decades and extrapolating them out another few decades. And if we know anything from history, no trend lasts forever.

[quote name='Church Punk' post='1803725' date='Mar 11 2009, 02:06 PM']I thought that most of these evangelicals believe that the rapture is coming to save them before this all happens? They escape the tribulation remember?[/quote]

He's not talking about endtimes

Edited March 11, 2009 by LouisvilleFan

[MissyP89]

What keeps the Church going is the simple fact that we haven't changed our stance, regardless of popular whims. It's been said time and again on the phorum that appealing to people can only work for so long. We might fluctuate in size because of that loyalty to the Truth, but we still stand, and will continue to, increasing secularism be damned.