Dr Russell Moore (one of the leading men at Southern Theological Seminary) has an article at the Wall Street Journal today entitled, Where Have All the Presbyterians Gone? Nondenominational churches are the fastest growing in the country.
One of his comments is striking:
The evangelical “Veggie Tales” cartoons—animated Bible stories featuring talking cucumbers and tomatoes—probably shape more children in their view of scripture than any denominational catechism does these days.
The gist of his conclusion is this:
If denominationalism simply denotes a “brand” vying for market share, then let denominationalism fall. But many of us believe denominations can represent fidelity to living traditions of local congregations that care about what Jesus cared about—personal conversion, discipleship, mission and community. Perhaps the denominational era has just begun.
The Breadline 