"Church of Tough Love"

From a front page article in the National Post by Joseph Brean:

"New polling numbers suggest Canadians are open to religion, but disenchanted with or even ignorant of the current offerings. Contrary to common wisdom, Canadians are not becoming more secular...Faith and spiritual longing are as widespread as ever. It is only church attendance that is down."

"With a flimsy and changing message, the (liberal churches) are less able to attract new members or retain old ones. Modernizing reforms might get good headlines, but in the long run, no one seeks shelter under a tree that bends with the wind."

"They (liberal churches) may be in danger of becoming cults of positive thinking, with too many questions and not enough answers, too much social justice and not enough personal morality, too much humanity and not enough God."

The conclusion of the article is that spiritual interest is alive and well but the church is not well positioned to capitalize on it. While the more conservative churches are affirmed in this article as having the more winning formula it seems to me that the church today, whether conservative or liberal, is a mere place holder in the story of God's action in the world. The story of God and his work is largely bookmarked, on hold, while the fields are ripe for harvest. Anyone interested in the pursuit of God is not likely to find much help in the church. There is however a thriving spiritual enterprise which is taking place at the level of the individual, of informal fellowship, and through the medium of the internet and print. There are thirsty people who are pursuing that thirst wherever the living water can be found.