Nominal Christianity and Contemporary Europe
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V ista EDITORIAL Growing Up Nominal Of course I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was raised as a “nominal Christian”. My mother was a disillusioned and non- practising Irish Catholic; my father was “C of E” but rarely showed his face at the local parish church. I was christened and went to the local Church of England Aided Primary School but there was no Christian practice at home: no prayers, no Bible-reading (in fact I am not even sure there was a Bible in the house) and Nominal Christianity and no conversation about spiritual things. Contemporary Europe When I finally met a believing Christian in my early teens I can distinctly remember thinking: “These guys talk about Jesus as if he was still alive, not like the dead Jesus they have taught us about in school”. It was the start of my journey into faith in Christ and the One of the most striking aspects emphasis on reaching out to the turning point in my life. of the socioreligious context of completely secularised and creating Europe is the high proportion of churches for the unaffiliated or This issue of Vista tackles the complex so-called nominal Christians. unchurched, we easily overlook the issue of Nominal Christianity. The lead These are people who are fact that the majority of the European article by Evert van de Poll provides a affiliated to a Church and/or public has not severed all links with description of the phenomenon and identifying as ‘Christian’ in the Christian faith. traces its essential parameters. We then surveys. They only occasionally, reproduce the Lausanne Statement on or never, attend a Church The idea of nominality Nominal Christianity which resulted service, and many of them do To begin with, the term ‘nominalism’ not believe in a personal God, from a consultation in Rome 2018. can be misleading, since it also refers let alone in Jesus Christ as the to a philosophical school of thought. Darrell Jackson reviews the Pew unique Saviour of mankind. With respect to religious identity and Research Center’s report “Being Despite the declining influence of the practice, it might be better to use the Christian in Western Europe” and René Church in society and increasing term ‘nominality’ instead. Breuel writes on the vital importance of secularisation, many people across Alternative terms are ‘cultural’, visual metaphors for initiation into Europe still maintain some sort of ‘notional’, ‘de-churched’ and Christian faith. Lastly, an article by Jo link with the Church as an institution, ‘unchurched’ Christians. In French- Appleton draws on insights from or with the Christian religion. In speaking countries, the standard term three participants in the Rome most countries this is more than fifty is chrétiens sociologiques (sociological Consultation who write about percent of the population. Christians) which has the same Nominal Christianity from From the point of view of Gospel connotations as ‘cultural Christians’ in Protestant, Catholic and English. Similarly, the Spanish speak of communication and church Orthodox perspectives. development this is an extremely cristianismo sociológico or cultural. important aspect of the European Germans speak of Namenschristen Jim Memory (‘Christians in name’) or Kirchenferne context. For all the missiological CONTINUED INSIDE ©Darryl Brooks, Dreamstime.com, 2013 which could be paraphrased as ‘peripheral’ or ‘marginal Church members’. This is in fact the precise meaning of the Dutch equivalent randkerkelijken. Whatever the terminology, there is always the idea behind it that something is lacking, that something is not as it should be. This is what we call the idea of nominality. It can be described as the discrepancy between a stated adherence to a faith and a committed application of that faith. This discrepancy can be observed in all religions, but it takes various forms. ‘The’ nominal Christian does not exist. In real life, there are many ways in which people can be at variance with the Christian identity they claim. ‘Nominal’ is a technical term, that is collectively used for a variety of Church.’ Socioreligious studies often commitment to living out one’s phenomena. use this criterion of attending a Church Christian faith on a daily basis. service, to distinguish between nominal While social scientists try to refrain While it is understandable that church from giving a value judgment when they and practising Christians. Usually the line between the two categories is leaders are concerned about the quality analyse forms of nominal Christianity, of the Christian life among their mission researchers and theologians drawn at once a month on average. Obviously, this approach is limited membership, there is a risk of usually qualify these as deviations from because commitment to the Christian overemphasising the sanctification normality, in opposition to another, aspect of the Christian faith, at the perhaps truer or more authentic form faith implies much more than attending church services. expense of other aspects. Moreover, we of Christianity. do not think it is justified to disqualify 3. ‘…not converted (born again).’ everyone who does not meet the How to define nominal? In Evangelical circles, this is a classic standards of discipleship as ‘nominal’, a Where exactly do we draw the line criterion. Dramatically put, if a person Christian ‘in name only’. between authentic and ‘in name only’? It has not entered the fold in the proper Parameters of being Christian is virtually impossible to give one way, he really does not belong with the precise definition of ‘a nominal sheep, even though he might go to All negative definitions are problematic Christian’ that will satisfy everyone who Church very often and behave very for two reasons: by concentrating on uses this term. It all depends on the much as a Christian should. This what is lacking they do not say much criteria that are being used. Social approach leads to a ‘true versus about the ‘nominals’ themselves. scientists usually look at the frequency nominal’ discourse that sometimes goes Moreover, they are too general because of Church attendance, but things as far as implying that nominal they focus one criterion, or perhaps become complicated when they take in Christians are not really two. But being a Christian account other indicators such as beliefs Christians at all. When Where do we draw implies more than going to or ‘how much does your religion mean conversion is defined in the line between Church, more than being to you’. an Evangelical way, this authentic and ‘in born again, more than the discourse creates the practice of discipleship. It In Church and mission circles, ‘nominal’ name only’? It is impression that ‘true’ implies all that plus other is often defined by way of negation, of impossible to give a equals Evangelical, aspects as well. something that is lacking. ‘People who leaving all the rest of the precise definition are called Christian, but…’ Of course, In social science as well as in Christian population as everything depends on what comes practical theology, it has become nominals needing to be converted. after ‘but’. Let me mention four negative customary to summarize all these There is also the risk of an exclusive definitions that are often used: aspects in the three Bs of believing – attitude towards other expressions of belonging – behaving. But even these are Christian faith. 1. ‘…not affiliated.’ Some statistics imprecise and insufficient. With respect use the criterion of church membership. 4.‘…not committed to to believing, we should make a Nominal Christians, then, are those discipleship.’ Some Evangelical authors distinction, as theologians have always who identify as Christians in surveys or describe nominality in terms of done, between believing ‘in’ (having faith in conversations, without having a link superficiality, of Christian confession in God) from believing ‘that’ (having with a Christian community or and church membership without faith convictions). Belonging stands for institution. While this approach makes Christian discipleship. This approach belonging to a Church, but when it us attentive to forms of Christian faith leads to another kind of ‘true versus comes to that, we should distinguish outside the institutional Church, it nominal’ discourse. Contrary to the affiliation or Church membership from overlooks the possible discrepancies preceding one, it does not deny that actual participation in the life of a between Christian identity and nominals can be real Christians who Church. Obviously, the two do not commitment within the Church. have obtained salvation. Its emphasis is always go together. 2. ‘…not regularly going to instead on spiritual growth and a 2 Behaving, finally, refers to religious instantaneous, but it can also be with God for some, while for others practice. This can mean the spiritual progressive, spread over time; as the it is more a matter of convictions, or life of a believer (prayer, inner life, fruit of a thoughtful and assumed of agreement with the teaching of the spiritual development) as well as a assimilation of a Christian education. church. believer’s witness and conduct in the The technical term is conversion, but public sphere, in society. Not covered language in which people express this Proposed description of by the three Bs is yet another aspect, can vary, as it depends very much on ‘nominality’ namely initiation, the technical term their Church context. It is We would suggest that the for becoming a Christian. This has to accompanied by a public confession of qualification nominal, ‘in name only’, is do with Christian education, faith, often linked with baptism, but appropriate when the discrepancy conversion, baptism and so on. not necessarily so. amounts to a more or less permanent On the basis of these considerations When it comes to being a Christian, contradiction with the name one we would suggest the following seven this is an intention, an orientation, a bears.