Marty Sampson and the Shallowness of The Evangelical Church of What’s Happening Now (VI)

Yes, I am a bit slow to comment on Hillsong’s Marty Sampson losing his faith.  But it speaks (sings?) volumes about The Evangelical Church of What’s Happening Now (TECoWHaN) so I am compelled to comment even if this is no longer a hot topic.

First, I must say to Sampson’s credit – and likewise to Josh Harris’s credit – that he is open and honest about his no longer being a Christian.  That is a much more honorable course than that taken by, say, Spong, Brian McLaren, RHE, and any number of other misleaders: of denying the basics of the faith while still pretending to be not only a Christian but to speak and teach publicly as such.  I can have a beer and a chat with a Sampson or a Harris.  I really can’t with a Spong or a McLaren (And I think scripture teaches I should not, but that’s a whole ‘nother subject.)

At the same time, it is appalling how Sampson is ditching Christianity on the most shallow grounds. In his own words:

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Time for some real talk…I’m genuinely losing my faith…and it doesn’t bother me…like, what bothers me now is nothing…I am so happy now, so at peace with the world…it’s crazy/this is a soapbox moment so here I go xx how many preachers fall? Many. No one talks about it. How many miracles happen. Not many. No one talks about it. Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it. How can God be love yet send 4 billion people to a place, all coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it. Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet-they can also be some of the most beautiful and loving people…but it’s not for me. I am not in anymore. I want genuine truth. Not the “I just  believe it” kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion. Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God. Got so much more to say, but for me, I keeping it real. Unfollow if you want, I’ve never been about living my life for others. All I know is what’s true to me right now, and Christianity just seems to me like another religion at this point…I could go on, but I won’t. Love and forgive absolutely. Be kind absolutely. Be generous and do good to others absolutely. Some things are good no matter what you believe. Let the rain fall, the sun will come up tomorrow.

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Hmm, that last sentence sounds like a song lyric. But anyway, this is the sort of reasoning I would expect from a 14 year old trying to make a sophisticated rationale for not being a Christian. Actually, that’s not fair . . . to 14 year olds.  I’ve heard much better questions and reasoning from 14 year olds and younger.

For someone who is very young or very new to investigating Christianity to have the issues Sampson mentions is one thing. But this man was a leader in Hillsong for years.  Who taught him the faith?  Who put him forth as a leader? My intent is not to bash him but to point out that it takes a profoundly shallow, short-sighted, and negligent church or parachurch to produce a leader like Sampson.  But that is exactly how shallow Hillsong and the rest of The Evangelical Church of What’s Happening Now can be.  Hillsong, TECoWHaN and “faith” without substance is what you get when you are grounded in trendy “faith” instead of traditional faith.  

God help those raised under such lightweight leadership.  If you are grounded in air, falling is likely.  As Rod Dreher recalls:

I think about what an Evangelical college professor told me in 2017 about the kids in his university: that 99 percent of them carry in their hearts a Christianity that is entirely based on youth-group emotionalism, and that has no serious theological foundation. 

There has been much alarm about how many youth ditch the faith once they leave home and their home church to go off into the world.  The shallowness of TECoWHaN is one big reason why.

It is past time to ditch TECoWHaN evangalatainment and bring back traditional catechesis. That is not a cure-all – there will always be apostates as scripture makes clear – but it is necessary. 

But most in TECoWHaN do not even know what catechesis is and might guess that it’s an infectious disease spread by too much exposure to incense in church.  If so, that would still be better than the shallowness being spread by The Evangelical Church of What’s Happening Now.