canadianchristianity.com email interview with Lloyd Mackey, veteran Christian journalist and political commentator, Ottawa

>1. What are the main challenges and issues the Canadian church is facing? How are we doing at dealing with those challenges and issues?

I would suggest that the main challenges facing the church relate to:

a. Congregations communicating relevantly to their larger communities, especially in the large cities.

b. Denominations and ministry groups grappling with major social issues, like poverty, HIV/AIDS and the environment - all in a context of keeping the communication of the evangel and an understanding of the Bible alive.

2. What are the bright spots, encouraging trends, new movements in Canadian Christianity? How will the Canadian church and Canadian society change in the future? What future trends and issues will we have to deal with?

a. The growth and development of Christian universities and colleges and the adaptation of the Bible college movement to provide courses of study that make the Bible relevant in Canadian employment contexts.

b. The seeming growth in interest among Christians to become involved in political and social action - growing out of a vibrant faith that has often, first of all, impacted on their own lives, personally.

c. An interest in prayer and reflection that helps to shape world views.

3. What is the character of the Canadian church? What distinguishing characteristics does it have? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Is this changing?

Its strength is in its maturity and stability in many of its denominations, parachurch organizations and media groups: The presence of a number of competent spokespersons, both in the cities and on provincial and federal levels. In addition, I am encouraged by the large numbers of people that can be quietly but firmly encouraged to engage the culture on major social, economic and international issues that require the application of a biblical perspective.

Its weakness relates to the sometime penchant of leadership to fragment and head off in several schismatic directions, rather that keeping in touch with each other to the benefit of the body of Christ and the larger community.

4. How is the church doing qualitatively? How committed are church members? Are churches generally optimistic, pessimistic, fearful, expectant, discouraged, energized, complacent, disinterested, etc.?

I am encouraged by the way in which good communication sometimes helps foster the ability of people who are very committed to the gospel and the life of the church to make common cause with those whose commitments, for whatever reason, are more scattered among a range of interests or causes.

5. What is the state of the church in Canada numerically, both in terms of the number of church members and the number of Christians? What branches of the church-such as, Catholic, mainline, charismatic, postmodern, evangelical--are growing and shrinking? In what parts of the country-provinces, urban areas, rural areas--is the church growing or shrinking? Among what demographics is the church growing or shrinking?

In this field, I find that sometimes I wish there were answers to certain questions. While I see statistics that show a fall off of regular church attendance, I note with interest that a general Christian-shaped God-consciousness remains high in the general populus. I wish there was a way of determining how that large group of apparent Christians who do not regularly attend church receive their faith sustenance and experience fellowship with other believers.

I am encouraged by evidence that regular-but-occasional church attendance seems to be growing as people feel the need to be with other believers at times of high festival and major benchmarks.

While the emerging and charismatic sectors of Christianity show signs of growth and vigor, I find that the occasional move from strong leadership to demagoguery in some parts of those sectors, is a trend to be guarded against.

6. What is the attitude of the larger Canadian society to Christianity? Is this changing? In what ways? What impact is secularism having? What is the character of Canadian society generally, how is it changing, and what impact is that having on the church?

While there are a few literate atheists taking articulate potshots at the church, I find that most people are quite respectful toward the church, especially where lines of communication work in two ways. I am sometimes discouraged by Christian professional polemicists who attempt to build straw persons to attack and then, when attacked in return, play the persecution card.

7. What is the ethnic makeup of the church in Canada and what impact is immigration having on Canada? What percentage of immigrants are already Christian? Are we converting immigrants to Christ? Are other religions gaining adherents? Are we winning our children or losing them? How multicultural is the church, how representative of the Canadian population?

I am very much aware of the ethnic diversity of the church, in most of its sectors, as well as the impact that diversity has on evangelical 'internationalism.'

8. What are the most important moral issues that the church will be wrestling with in the next few years? Are we still wrestling with issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, or are those battles over? What can and should the church be doing in these areas?

Faith and life issues will continue to be important to the church, but more on an internal level that in its impact on public policy. I believe that health, environmental and economic issues will come to take on moral perspectives, as the church develops biblical and theological perspectives in this area.

9. What studies/resources can you refer us to that back up/provide hard data for your answers?

I recommend resources coming out of both Christian and non-Christian sectors. As a general rule, I tend to believe that "seeing ourselves as others see us" is almost as important as getting a strong biblical perspective, when it comes to making our faith relevant and vibrant.