Introduction
Eight years is not exactly a long time relative to 2,000 years of Church history. And yet, a lot has changed since 2003 when it comes to Christians’ personal and corporate faith. There were new trends, a rediscovery of old trends and a whole lot of blending. Oh yeah, and “authenticity” came up quite a bit.
12 94 / RELEVANT_MAR/APR 11
MEDITATING AND FASTING AND CONFESSING, OH MY! The last eight years saw a renewed interest in spiritual disciplines, as twentysomethings moved on from college ministries and sought ways to make faith their own. Popular books, such as Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight and The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg, contextualize the traditional disciplines for today’s culture. As in most movements of this generation, the pursuit of spiritual disciplines is a morphing of ancient and future—with a priority on authenticity. You might be fasting or setting aside a day for prayer, but it’s just as likely you’re fasting from Facebook as food, and your prayers are a mix of ancient creeds and free-form conversation with God.