Unpacking "COVID-19 as the End of the Modern World?"

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Clement’s second article addresses Ecclesiology after COVID-19. Ecclesiology is the study of the Church and explores what the Church is and what its structure and functions are. While we encourage all our readers to read the full article, below are some notes which might help break down some of the ideas he introduces. Note, some of the information below is taken directly word for word from the article itself. Special thanks to Clement for reviewing and providing some additional insights below.

If you’ve missed Part 1, please check out https://www.projectarctos.com/archive/66/covid-19-end-of-modernity-soteriology.

What is the Modern World? And where are we now?

Clement addresses the Modern World as the world before COVID-19. This was a world where Zoom and Microsoft Teams (web-conferencing software) were not the norm, where virtual weddings and virtual events were much rarer. This was also a world where supply-chain issues didn’t exist as strongly, where universities symbolized the highest form of learning, where it seemed democracy was naturally gaining ground, where socio- and geo-political situations were much more stable, and where “Cancel Culture” hadn’t reached its current proportions. But now, a post-COVID world has challenged the assumptions about what it means to learn, to work, and interact; something new appears to be taking shape without any signs of stopping. In addition, schools, governments, and other institutions may have had their long-standing statuses irreversibly altered.

Clement presents COVID-19 as the marker of a new era in the world’s history. We are in a “new normal” or at least, entering into a “new normal”.

Theology affects what we focus on. Recapping the last article, what if the gospel is fuller than we often make it?

Last time, Clement reviewed how our theology of Christianity focused mainly on Jesus’ death and atonement for our sin leads to a Christian identity focused on sin management and the slippery slopes towards “overscrupulous legalism and devotional piety” and where “our church life becomes reduced to the evangelistic task of saving souls”.

Instead of sin and law at the center, Clement challenges us to think of relationship and the gospel not only as atonement for sin but as a restored relationship in four areas: relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation.

Does a Theology of the Church matter?

According to Stanley Grenz, an American theologian, one of the shortcomings of evangelicalism was its lack of an ecclesiology. This made it so church attendance for evangelicals was a personal choice rather than a calling. This has ramifications which have become more apparent in light of COVID-19.

When we focus on salvation only, do baptism, communion, and active membership and participation become secondary or even optional?

Based on the theology of many evangelicals, we can love Jesus but not be a member of a church group. This is a newer idea that was not seen in the Reformation (in the 16th century). At that time, if someone didn’t like their state’s choice of Christian confession they could move, but that’s different from evangelicalism today where church services are seen more optionally.

Where did the “anything-goes” mindset come from related to church membership?

Puritan pilgrims who left Post-Reformation Europe to found a new nation in the 18th century began an experiment where there was separation of church and state. In Europe, those denominational and non-denominational free churches would be seen as “separatist." Unlike European ecclesial counterparts with lots of liturgical tradition and hierarchy, the different denominations and free churches in the New World of America reduced church membership to cultural and consumeristic preference. In addition, Calvin’s focus on the sermon instead of communion as the center of worship added to this. When you think of a typical evangelical church service, the “main” part of it is typically the sermon.

Add in 18th and 19th century revivalism and holiness movements and a “passion for souls” and “altar calls” would become their own liturgical form and displace other ways of being the church (Russell E. Richey, Consulting Faculty at Duke Divinity School).

All of these main events (sermon, preference, and evangelism) are very pragmatic. Sermons build us up, preferences give us flexibility and wider audiences, and evangelism helps bring people to Christ. While all good things, they can “cast a shadow” (leave a negative side) of consumerism.

When revival was the goal, this eventually became the modern megachurch movement.

What is a “good” church?

Regardless of size, we often evaluate churches by preaching, musical abilities, and leadership cultures. In the modern world, many churches sought to run their churches like enterprises.

As churches were forced to close their doors and go online, the “optional status” of the modern church along with a sudden increase of options for “virtual church attendance” became more pronounced. COVID-19 and our reaction to virtual “church” help us see what mattered, what was “annoying”, and what didn’t matter to us. Do some people find it nicer to be able to watch more conveniently? And if this is enough, is it just making it clear that our “modern” (pre-COVID) manifestation of church is not enough?

Is it just about drawing people in and ministry in the walls of the church building?

Stephen and other first deacons in Acts 6 had the mission of ensuring food distribution to the widows. We often have deacons focus internally rather than externally. What if ministry meant to be outward so worship and edification replenished us for the sake of broader callings not only in the church but also in the world? Darrell L. Guder, a theologian based in the U.S., tells of a woman who was administratively gifted but politely turned down serving in the church multiple times because her calling was to be a children’s librarian and it had to be her priority.

How are we, as the church, moving not only inwardly, but also outwardly in restoring relationship with God, one another, ourselves, and creation?

Seeing our usual activities halted by COVID-19 enables us to see how we may move forward in light of self-reflection. Have we been overly focused on building up internal services over a more integrated connection between our churches and the wider world?

How does “optional” church come from a weakened view of the sacraments? And what happens when the center of our church gatherings are no longer the sacraments?

Sacraments are Christian rites held in special honor, as particularly important. These often include rites such as communion, baptism, and confirmation.

Clement argues that the optional status of church has been supported illegitimately by our inadequate view of the sacraments. Do we see baptism more as a personal event and sign of personal commitment rather than a church event? Is baptism an event that brings in a new member into the local and global family (Romans 6)? Is communion merely a remembrance or memorial for us or something greater, a partaking in the true presence of Christ? To view these sacraments only as individual rites or memorials loosens the church community and lessens the importance of being part of these communities in a consistent manner.

Without certainties from the modern world, having the mysterious presence of Christ, especially in the sacraments, will bring us peace and comfort. Sadly, we’ve lost these elements for too long and become a form of “Christian Hollywood” where we worship celebrity culture.

Mixed values from megachurch culture

Christian Hollywood celebrity culture centers around “good preaching”. While megachurches have given many blessings (Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Community Church have provided extremely impactful resources to churches, especially in evangelical circles), megachurches also reveal some less positive characteristics. The bigger a church, the less personal and the more abstract its ministries (and its pastors) become. Instead of knowing members by name, there is a modern notion of division of labor where more “important” pastors are those tasked only with preaching and/or leadership functions that abstractly (rather than personally) involve developing policies, programs, and/or systems to provide discipleship and member care. Skye Jethani, Christian author and speaker, notes that when the public ministry of teaching and preaching (and perhaps popular book writing) takes precedence over the sacraments, it often happens that the central figure of the worship service no longer is the person of Christ, but the person of the golden-tongued celebrity preacher instead.

Is a sacramental mindset of more ancient Christian traditions more conducive to keeping Christ at the center of our worship through the breaking of bread and wine that symbolize his body and blood?

A different way?

When “mega” mentalities come, our churches become overrun by programs, initiatives, and activities (and hence evangelical exhaustion). One feature of megachurches is regularly scheduled Christian conferences and big-name speakers but the recent fall of many “Christian Hollywood” pastors point to what’s required to keep the “mega” operation running. #MeToo (social movement against sexual abuse) plus COVID-19 have contributed to the megachurches’ collective loss of credibility and have potential to move the evangelical church beyond its modern form of megachurch towards smaller communities of deep faith that though dispersed, carry greater potential for non-enterprised, non-abstract, pastorally personal work of un-anonymous ministry. These smaller groupings are not only more flexibly conducive to our socio- and geo-politically unstable COVID induced world, but also help us grasp the fullness of the nature of our true humanity. 

Whereas megachurches sought public relations strategies of high visibility, Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like yeast that, though small in amount and invisible, permeates its way through sixty pounds of dough (see Matt 13:31-33) or as a small mustard seed growing into the largest of garden plants. How can we, as the evangelical church, be smaller and less visible in this COVID-19 new normal, yet in a type of mustard seed growing and dough permeating way?

Let us know what you think!

In the same way that we’re rethinking what the workplace looks like (and the ramifications of a world where many people now work from home), our Christian faith, especially gathering together, may be put into the process of being re-examined, comparing before COVID-19 and after COVID-19. Let us know what you think by emailing us at hello@projectarctos.com.