The Disappearance of the ‘Mushy Middle’

“In what ways is the current cultural climate forcing the ‘mushy middle’ out of the church?”

Yeah, that’s a great question. And it kind of goes back to the seeker sensitive question. We all wanted in on that one because that’s where we live. But one of the interesting things to note is that there aren’t that many new seeker-sensitive churches because that fit a certain cultural moment when people were saying to unbelievers, “You can gain a bit of social capital by coming to join with us. There’s some value added to your life if you come and join with us. If you just come and be with us, we’ll add meaning and spirituality to your life in a non-threatening way.”

But in the hardening secularization that we are now experiencing people are going to pay social capital to hang around with anyone believes the gospel of Jesus Christ. They’re going to forfeit social capital. They’re going to run a risk for being member of our churches.... Read More