Tagged: decline

The problem with empires and theologies of success

Last week I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Church History.  The conference was a productive one, yielding new ideas and new connections.  One paper I found particularly interesting was presented by Alister Chapman of Westmont College.  In a paper entitled, “‘Where there is no vision, the people leave’: The End of […]

Modernity and the myth of progress

One of the fundamental beliefs of modernity is the belief in progress.  According to modernity, all manners of things can undergo an endless progression of expansion, improvement, and growth.  Knowledge, technology, the economy, social systems, and our selves are all capable of a never-ending process of improvement.  Such a notion is, however, a culturally-conditioned belief […]