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for the church to attempt to fill this role permanently – as Islam has done in
some countries – resulting in an established religious state.
He also points to examples of Christianity playing a key role in the political
struggles in Latin America, sometimes in the form of the evangelical Left and
“liberation theology,” but also with a more conservative bent. The New Church
has also faced this issue on a small scale with its involvement in orphanages in
Kenya and will undoubtedly run into similar challenges/opportunities in the
future.
Jenkins also notes that the growing denominations tend to meld
Christianity with existing cultural rites and practices rather than trying
to dictate a rigid framework for the practice of religion. This allows the
congregation to embrace the church as its own. However, this can be a difficult
balancing act as the church must decide what its core beliefs are, which cannot
be compromised, and those which merely reflect forms of worship.
Jenkins points to a particular challenge in the South’s belief in a link to
the spirit world and with ancestors who have since departed. While early
Christianity shared some of these beliefs, including that of possession, modern
Northern Christianity in general is much less accepting of these beliefs, with
the exception of certain denominations. Jenkins states:
For the African churches, the notion of continuity with the world of the
ancestors is not only credible; it is a fundamental component of the belief
system. And while many Western Christians have difficulty in accepting
notions of the afterlife or resurrection as literally rather than symbolically true,
these theories find a powerful resonance in African or Asian independent
churches.
The elasticity of core beliefs is also a challenge for the churches in more
traditional “Northern” regions where shifts in cultural norms apply pressure
to traditional doctrine, such as women in the priesthood and homosexuality.
Interestingly, the Christian denominations that are retaining their traditional
doctrine seem to be the ones maintaining their membership, whereas those
that eagerly embrace the latest societal shifts seem to be losing members.
This is not surprising since a faith that can be manipulated at will would
seem to be of less value in guiding the path of our spiritual lives and might
become nothing more than a rationalization for our beliefs and behavior,
while doctrine that is believed to be from a higher source and has remained
intact provides a consistent path to salvation.
However, even “traditional” beliefs evolve rightly and wrongly over time.
In discussing the different approach of religious liberals and conservatives
toward scripture Jenkins states: “Liberals judge scripture by the standards
of the world; conservatives claim to set an absolute value on scripture and
religious sources of authority.” Also of note is that many people are continuing
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