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very few weeks, it seems, we hear statistics about an American epidemic of loneliness<\/a>, the purposelessness<\/a> of young men<\/a>, an increase in anxiety and depression in younger generations<\/a>, and growing political tribalism<\/a>. But we haven\u2019t identified reliable pathways through the morass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, our church cultures are not immune to these larger challenges. Although the number of those leaving the church may be stabilizing<\/a>, Pew reports the \u201cstickiness\u201d of religion is declining<\/a>. What can account for a disconnect between the gospel the church proclaims and the lives we often lead? What has captured our imaginations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s possible for Christians to hold broadly similar doctrines while differing dramatically in how those doctrines shape their lives and outlooks. Accordingly, Christian leaders who care about discipleship in 21st-century American evangelical churches should be asking not only\u00a0what<\/em>\u00a0we believe but\u00a0how.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve come to believe that much of our discipleship gap results not from an informational deficit but from an imaginative one. Although we need deep familiarity with theological truths, we first need to form a more robust Christian imagination so we can incorporate these truths into a coherent way of life. This has less to do with knowing facts, important as they are, than with learning to think, dream, and love more Christianly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two recent books on beauty and the imagination are helpful starting points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> \u201cTo behave and believe Christianly, we need a certain imaginative flexibility, one that can embrace the already-and-not-yet grammar of the gospel,\u201d writes @aahales<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/kSDQAIMFeu<\/a><\/p>— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) June 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>
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