"Western Christianity"

In the near future, I'm sure I'll blog about the many problems I have with modern Evangelicalism in the Western world, but I'll save that for later days. For now, I want to focus on what I mean by "Western Christianity." Let me start out by saying that I haven't given this much thought; so, I'm not exactly sure what I mean yet.

Anyway, I'm starting to come to the realization that I can't lump every denomination into the very general phrase "Western Christianity" and then accurately say all the denominations that fall under "Western Christianity" all have the same problems. On the other side of this, I need to fight the mindset that thinks Christianity in other parts of the world is somehow on a higher spiritual plane than the Christianity found in America, Canada, etc. That very well may be true, but I wouldn't know, and as I read through the New Testament, it seems pretty clear that all those early churches had some pretty bad problems that needed addressing too.

So back to my main point: I think that what I've meant in the past by "Western Christianity" is actually (mainly) the Southern Baptist church. I grew up going to Southern Baptist churches in the infamous Bible belt. I've probably attended services with at least 150 different Southern Baptist congregations. I know what the the Southern Baptist mega-church mold looks and acts like. And for the vast majority of the time, I'm pretty disgusted by it. I also spent over 5 years in a "Bapticostal" church. It behaved quite a bit differently than most traditional SB churches, but I wasn't any more impressed with its particular brand of Christianity; its initially sweet taste was overwhelming overshadowed by its bitter aftertaste. I've also seen and experienced a few of the bad effects that some Pentecostal churches had on several of my friends and me.

That's what I've experienced. So I guess that's what I mean by "Western Christianity." I just can't realistically represent the denominations that I haven't had much contact with, and I shouldn't act like I can.

I will say, though, that I dated a Lutheran once, and I haven't been a very big fan of them since...them or Minnesotans. For me, Luther is the only redeeming thing about Lutheranism, and Piper is the only redeeming thing about Minnesota.

But seriously, I am grateful for the churches God graciously allowed me to grow up in. There are good qualities in them that I too often ignore. God help me when I get so jaded and cynical that I cease from loving the glorious, beautiful, mysterious thing that is the Body of Christ, His Church.