My mother had become a Christian in 1977 as part of the tail-end of the Jesus Movement, in which numerous people had become Christians, but I am yet to hear anyone ask the question, "Why did so many people become Christians in the 60's and 70's?" There was a movement of God, I don't know many who deny that, but why? It could be that the '60's started a Revolution against the system, which will naturally causes people to start asking questions about what had been assumed for so long; mainly in reference to the structures of organized religion. Many would say, "We were not angry at people, we were frustrated with the abuse of authority, and the fact that the Church in the U.S. overall was not that accepting of people that were not white."
The Jesus Movement could have been preparing people for the 80's and the growth of the U.S. economy. Maybe God was preparing a generation of people who would not allow the rise of wealth, the War on Drugs (as Nancy Reagan named it), and an overall disdain for anything that prohibited rampant globalization, from interfering with God's concern for those to whom our policies directly and indirectly affect. Did Christians do these things?
I have seen the second generation of Christians more socially astute than the first generation after the Jesus Movement, so maybe these things take time. I believe that when God moves in miraculous ways, we as people are called to respond. We initiate action, we become concerned for the renewal of all things, because we believe that if Jesus is Lord, then everything is under his dominion. We also do not simply assume that the way the system operates, is the way God wants it to operate. We participate with Christ in reconciling everything into the kingdom of God. If we need to reconcile, then that means it is not already there.
I heard a quote about Jerry Falwell when he first became a Christian in 1952. He said, "And my heart burned inside me for Jesus Christ and I knew life would never be the same." Although he may have done some good things, his theology shaped what he believed. He was a product of his environment, the segregated '50's, and he opposed integration in the '60's, because he thought, "If it is operating this way, then it must be what God wants." Obviously it wasn't.
2 comments:
hey!
there are many things we could say to answer all of ur questions.....the truth is there are people being saved every day!
there is no way to put it to a certain decde....... the only way to relly no is to go to the LORD and ask him to show u the answer
To Hey: I agree with you that people are becoming followers of Jesus everyday, but I disagree that you can answer all the questions. (in general of course)
There actually was a movement documented as the Jesus Movement, and my question was for thoughtful debate about what God requires of us, such as Micah 6:8 asks? Thank you for extending to me the true source of our life, The Lord. I appreciate your thoughts.
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