of Changes and Churches

Notice anything different here today?  I figured that since the Beartooth Mountains are no longer out my back door, I should probably update to a theme that attests to my current surroundings.  The new image background is of the Holy Trinity Church here in St. Andrews; and while I thought about replacing the Montana landscape with Scottish landscape, in so many ways the image of this church is the most befitting of my time and purpose here in the United Kingdom.

The most obvious reason, perhaps, is because I am studying for a PhD in Divinity, a field of study which deals directly with the Christian Church.  Students in my course are studying questions relating to all manners of theology, biblical studies, preaching and teaching, the function and nature of the church, etc.  Anything that regards Christianity around the world can be subsumed under the title of Divinity.

A second reason I find an image of a church befitting for my current position in life is because the degree I receive here will allow me to teach full-time at a Christian academic institution.  What does this have to do with the church?  I want to teach, I look forward to teaching, and I’ve been told I’m a gifted teacher.  But what really gets me excited about teaching is the idea that I can have an impact on the larger, more global Church through the classroom.  You may not be aware of it, but the Church in America is declining.  The United States used to be the “one nation under God,” the Christian nation that sent the most missionaries around the world, the nation where a majority percentage of the population attended church.  No longer is this the case.  Sunday morning attendance is in a free-fall.  Other nations are now sending their missionaries to the U.S..   In the past, if someone was not a church-attender or even a Christian, they still had a general awareness of the Bible and basic Christian doctrines.   Now churches are hard pressed to get even their own congregants to read Scripture, not to mention study Scripture. 

I’m convinced that if the Church in America is going to turn around at any point, it will be entirely dependent on the leadership.  If the pastor of a church is excited about their call to duty, is excited about what God is doing in the world all the way down to their congregation, and if the pastor is excited about teaching and preaching the Word of God, then his or her congregants will be as well.  Churches live or die depending on the leadership.  Where is there a better place to have an impact on the Church than in a Christian college teaching those soon-to-be pastors and missionaries about the greatest Truth of all time and the Scripture in which he has revealed himself?  I love studying the Bible, and have since I was twelve years old.  I’m here in St. Andrews because I want to be able to see young men and women become truly excited about the Bible and take that excitement into their lives of proclaiming the good news of Christ in America.

A final reason for an image of a Scottish church rather than Scottish landscape is along the same lines.  The Church in America is following in Europe’s path.  The Church in Europe has been struggling for the last couple hundred years. I’ve been told that only 3% of Europe’s population attends church on Sunday mornings.  That is not many people when you consider what influence the Church once had on this continent in the years up until the Enlightenment.  America is following right behind them.  This church, Holy Trinity Church is a living example of the state of the Church here.  One can imagine it being packed with attendees filling the pews from end to end.  Now, at least what I witnessed when I attended, the numbers are around fifty and whole pews sit empty on Sunday mornings. 

It’s because of churches in Europe and America like Holy Trinity that I want to teach.  It’s because of these churches and the revitalization they need that I am here in St. Andrews.  And it’s for the sake of the pastors who will lead these churches that I want a PhD.