Mainline Church notes

The Patheos site (hat tip to the Anchoress) is hosting sets of articles on the future of the world's religions, and this week is "Mainline Protestantism." I've been perusing the articles, and ... um ... maybe I should look at earlier weeks' articles to see if they're in the same style.

Let's see.

• I can't make head or tail of what Sam Alexander is writing about, and I don't think he knows either.
• Jim Burklo hails "progressive churches" in general but without much particulars.
• Jerry Campbell wants the church to act like the good Samaritan and build bridges.
• Phillip Clayton calls for a new ecclesiology rather than new theology, to be found by experiment I hope he overstates for effect.
• Monica Coleman thinks most black churches are conservative and horrid and wants black people to walk out.
• Kenda Dean thinks youth ministry will allow churches to evolve into new paths I agree, and shudder.
• James Davis thinks mainline churches can infuse civility into the national debate by reaching the "muddled middle" (and thus shoots down his own proposal).
• Bruce Epperly doesn't believe the God who created spacetime knows the future.
• Greg Garrett is hopeful that modern culture will find mainline denominations more congenial.
• Larry Goodpastor thinks the future of the UMC lies outside the US.
• Anne Howard wants to serve the common good embracing the "politics of compassion" (as opposed to the "politics of purity").
• James Kang writes a letter to an imaginary daughter's ordination in 2050 extolling some innovative groups and running down everybody else.

It is getting late, and the chaff to wheat ratio is pretty high; I don't think I can go much farther tonight.

Many of the authors remind me of the churches who keep American flags at the front and preach on how great the US is.