Journal of Sacred Work

   The idea that we may be living in a post-Christian era is startling to some, a news bulletin to others. But the evidence is mounting that some of the older forms of Christians expression are moribund. The Catholic Church, riven by recent scandals, has seen hundreds of thousands abandon its ranks. Mainstream Protestants are staying away from church in droves. The numbers who follow the Jewish faith, the original source of both Christianity and Islam, may not yet have recovered from the horrible devastation of the holocaust. Church attendance in Europe and America is reported to be half what it was fifty years ago.
   Meanwhile, faith-based universities have, in many cases, cut themselves loose from their religious moorings. And faith-based hospitals, as we have often lamented here in these pages, are, for the most part, engaged in various forms of mission fraud….

   But not everyone has left church. The mega-churches are thriving. Among the most fascinating is the ministry of Joel Osteen. Although I dismissed him initially as being over-simplistic in his theology, I have discovered that he is accomplishing something where many "mainstream" ministers have failed. Osteen offers a gospel of hope. Most contemporary Americans are tired of being called sinners by some old time Christian preachers. They are tired of the guilt trip.
   Osteen doesn’t bother with that part of the traditional message. His sermons affirm the humanity of each of us and call us to be our best selves. His approach doesn’t suit everyone. But he his success is something all of us should notice.
    A 20th century minster and theologian, Edward Scribner Ames(left) offered the insightful view that what religion needs is to be as intelligent as science, as appealing as art, as vital as the day’s work, and as intimate as the home. He has described a combination all to rare in America’s churches.
   The real issue for caregivers isn’t really about religion. It’s about spirituality. The sacred encounter between caregiver and patient doesn’t require the blessing of religion. All that is required for the presence of the divine is that our hearts be open to Love. So long as Love is invited into the world, we need not worry about whether churches are growing or shrinking. True faith is not about church attendance, it’s about how we live our lives. When caregivers engage Love, they have touched the hem of God.

-Erie Chapman