Broad look at the faith ends on a humbling note

By Kurt Armstrong and ChristianWeek | February 12, 2010

Making sense of history is sometimes nearly as difficult as making sense of the present, never mind making guesses about what's coming next. But theologian and religious trend-watcher Harvey Cox tries to do all three in his new book, The Future of Faith.

In his survey of Christian history, Cox identifies three ages. The Age of Faith began with Jesus and lasted about three centuries. Christianity was egalitarian, active and independent of other social institutions. Then came The Age of Belief in which the Church was dominated by dogma, rationalism, hierarchy and collusion with state power. We're now entering the Age of The Spirit, emphasizing Christian behaviour, diversity, a recovery of egalitarianism and a shift away from the power of the state.

This emerging age is hard for a lot of us to see because the leading edge of the global Church is no longer dominated by white Europeans. Global Christianity has moved south and east and is largely Pentecostal (hence The Age of the Spirit.) Africa and Asia are the new centres of Christianity. "This is not just a geographical issue," he writes. "Since the vast majority of people in this 'new Christendom' are neither white nor well-off, their theological questions center on…why poverty and hunger still stalk God's world."

Cox singles out the Roman Catholic Church as the prime example of the unhealthy predominance of dogma, hierarchy and power in the Age of Belief. It's no wonder: Cox was instrumental in first exposing North America to liberation theology. He saw what happens when the Church bows to the state.

In the current Age of the Spirit, Cox sees a return to essential Christianity, which he first spotted in liberation theology in Central America. His admiration for liberation theologians will irk some, but it's hard to argue with the profound witness of Christians like Oscar Romero and Gustavo Gutierrez.

His last chapter, "The Future of Faith," encourages us to get out of the way and let the new leaders of global Christianity guide us. It's a humbling suggestion. We in the west have long loved having faith our way. Maybe that's part of our general, collective reluctance to watch Christianity going through big changes—as evidenced by some of the reactionary responses to Phyllis Tickle's talk in Winnipeg last year. But if Cox is right and this really is the Age of the Spirit, we'd better pay attention.