Archive Report
Archive Report
Christian Churches in Period of Stress
Unsettling Effects of Pressure for Change
Christian churches in the United States, in all their denominational forms, are undergoing a time of trial and stress with unforeseeable consequences for the religious life of the nation. In some ways the situation recalls the upheavals of a century ago when Christianity faced up to new scientific discoveries concerning the origin of man. The churches at that time were shaken, but the major denominations eventually solved the theological dilemma by incorporating the “new science” into their traditional doctrinal positions. So the crisis was weathered with minimum revision of dogma or ministerial custom.
Today's upheaval goes deeper, raising questions that may lead to fundamental changes in church structure and church functioning, to say nothing of ...