Baal and the Gods of More: Rescuing the Church from Idolatry (Andrew Root) - Review
As a retired pastor from a Mainline
Protestant denomination (Disciples of Christ), I am quite aware that the
oldline denominations, especially those known as the “Seven Sisters,” have been
experiencing significant decline for the past half-century or more. From what I
can tell, it appears that a majority of congregations in my denomination can no
longer afford to call a full-time pastor. It should not be surprising that
clergy and lay leaders want to know what they can do to turn things around. We
want to know how to grow our churches, so we ask the pundits what we can do to grow
our churches. We want to know what methodologies work, so we attend
conferences, listen to podcasts, watch webinars, and read books by the latest
religious influencers. We do so in the hope that we can find the right path
forward so everything will be okay. If only we could find the answer,
everything would be okay. Despite all the advice, churches still deal with
aging and decline. Yes, some churches are “thriving,” but will they eventually
suffer the same fate as the old-line churches? After all, the congregation I
retired from once had a membership of a couple thousand. That hasn’t been true
since the 1950s. Call me skeptical that we can innovate ourselves to new
heights. But I am open to ideas.
If you’ve read any of Andrew Root’s
many books, and I’ve read and reviewed most of them, you will know that he is
skeptical when it comes to the possibility that churches can innovate their way
to new prosperity. That said, he hasn’t given up hope that growth is possible.
He just wants us to be aware that there are no quick fixes. With this as a
prelude, I am here to review Root’s newest book that addresses the situation
the churches face in these changing times. His latest book takes the intriguing
title Baal and the Gods of More: Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry.
The presence in the book’s title of "Baal," the Canaanite deity that
served as a rival to Yahweh, serves as a reminder that our search for answers
to our dilemma can lead us into idolatry. Although ancient Israel was Yahweh's
covenant people, it too often strayed into the orbit of Baal, who promised
fertility. Not surprisingly, the prophet Elijah appears in this book as a foil
to Baalism. According to Root, who serves as the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor
of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, church growth is not a bad
thing. However, not all forms of church growth are the same. Some forms of
church growth can be idolatrous. That is, in their pursuit of growth, churches
can become enamored with fertility gods like Baal or Artemis. According to
Root, these gods focus on instrumentality over relationality. Two forms of this
instrumentality that are currently operative and attractive to church leaders pursuing
growth are "techno-optimism"
and "Identitarianism." Root writes that these forms of
instrumentality are "fused with a modern logic of escalation—they are both
highly capitalistic and therefore build on a logic of escalation that opens us
to idolatry." (pp. xi-xii).
Root divides Baal and the Gods of More into six chapters, the first of which is titled "Memes and
Museums." In this opening chapter, Root introduces us to a meme that
contrasts the multi-breasted goddess, Artemis of Ephesus, with an icon of Mary
with Jesus. The contrast here involves the idolatry of escalating fertility
(Artemis) with relationality (Mary with Jesus). The question he asks us to
ponder is, which will save us? If you choose Mary, then you are with Root. As
is true of most of his books, Root intersperses sociology, theology, and
stories that help us reflect on the nature of what he is working with. Here,
using conversations, visits to museums in Rome, and other elements, he asks us
an important question concerning church growth: does it “mean getting more to
work with? Or being formed into a way of life? And why, even for those who are
committed to resource gain as growth, does it feel like there is less and
less?” (p. 24). These are good questions to ponder.
We now move to the second chapter, which is titled "What's So Bad About Growth?" I think most pastors would answer, there’s nothing wrong with growth per se, but is all growth the same? As I noted above, Root brings sociology into the conversation in his books. So, in this chapter, he introduces us to the concept of "dynamic stabilization." In doing so, he takes note of some of the attempts that have been made to stem the decline, including the seeker-sensitive megachurch and the Emergent church movement. The latter movement was once considered an important postmodern response to church decline, but Root is not convinced that such a thing as the postmodern ever existed. Despite suggestions otherwise, we're still stuck with the modern. So, we continue to find ourselves trapped in a modernity that assumes "that all things must constantly and continually grow if they are to endure and therefore remain stable. Modernity is about growth" (p. 35). This is where we get caught up in the web of idolatry. This is because we end up concluding that there is never enough. Therefore, if stabilization is to occur, we must always be on the treadmill of growth. I once heard it said that churches must grow at a ten percent rate each year to stay even. That’s a difficult goal to achieve! Now, as Root notes, growth isn't the problem. Church growth can be a good thing, but the path to growth can be problematic.
I found chapter 3 very interesting
in part because it introduced something I had never considered. This something
is the connection that has existed between growth in the nation’s GDP and the
growth of the American Protestant church. Root titles this chapter "The
Machine and the GDP God: How the Special Century and the Christian Century Got
Us Addicted to Growth." He reveals a correlation between the growth of the
Protestant Mainline and the acceleration of growth in the GDP. Thus, the church
grew as the American standard of living increased substantially. On the other
side of the coin, the decline in the growth of the Protestant Mainline
accompanied a move into a period where growth in the nation’s GDP began to decline.
While the growth of GDP and the church accompanied the first industrial
revolution, which accompanied the emergence of the steam engine (1750-1830) and
the second industrial revolution, which ran from the end of the 19th
century into the 1950s, was powered by the development of electric power and
the combustion engine. Again, the church grew along with the GDP. Things have
been going in a different direction since the 1970s; even the advent of the
“information age” hasn’t really changed the standard of living that seems to
accompany the growth of the church. Interestingly, evangelicals appear to have
taken advantage of the rise of the network that marks this current era. What we
see in this era are two paths, one involving techno-optimists who put their
hope in creativity and innovation, and “identitarianism,” which focuses on welcoming
certain identities. While there is value here, they can also turn into idols.
In Chapter 4, Root focuses his
attention on what happens when "Techno-Optimists and Identitarians Take
Over the Church." In this chapter, Root speaks of forms of idolatry that
assume we can do better to reach dynamic stabilization, either through
technology or a focus on identity affirmation. It's not that creativity and
identity are bad things, but when they are connected to an "escalation of
capital," they become idolatrous. The idea that we can do better suggests
that we can save ourselves through some kind of methodology. When that happens,
we find ourselves beholden to idols. In response, Root suggests that the only
option for the church is to be led by the Spirit and obey Jesus. Again, he asks
us whether Baal or Yahweh can save us.
The question of whether Baal or
Yahweh saves that concludes Chapter 4 leads into Chapter 5, which takes us from
sociological analysis to a biblical analysis. Having spoken of Baal being the image
of idolatry, he takes us into a study of the story of Israel as found in 1 and
2 Kings. As he explores these stories that feature Elijah, he connects them
with Protestant decline. He titles the chapter, "The Disobedience of a
Lost Golden Age." Root reflects here on the attempts made during the
post-Solomonic era to return to a perceived golden age that was said to exist
during the reigns of David and Solomon. The path chosen by most of Solomon's
successors, both in Israel and Judah, was Baalism. We see this present in
Elijah's engagement with Ahab and Jezebel. The question that arises in this
story is whether Israel will follow Torah or not. As Root takes us through 1
and 2 Kings, Root invites us to read our own attempts to reclaim a golden age
with the Israelite attempts to reclaim their golden age by turning to Baal, even
though the prophets of Baal ultimately lost to Elijah. Root suggests the point
here is the idea that "if the cult is powerful and true, it will
produce" (p. 192). When it comes to the story of the contest that took
place between Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel, the issue of concern was relief from
drought and the need to produce rain. So, will rain come from obedience to
Yahweh or an embrace of Baal's promise of fertility? When it comes to the
decline of the Protestant Mainline, Root suggests that the temptation is to
"innovate the cult," while Yahweh calls on us to pray and "rest
in the faithfulness of God, who makes all things new" (p. 209). Innovation
depends on us, and too often we put our trust in ourselves and our methods
rather than God. It didn’t work for Israel. Will it work for us?
The concluding chapter of Baal and the Gods of More is titled "You, Mother! A Sweet Apocalyptic
Relationality." In this chapter, Root offers Mary and her relationship
with her son, as shown in two ancient icons, as the path to growth. The model
of relationality envisioned by the icons, especially one found in a church in
Cologne, Germany, known as the Icon of Our Lady of the Sign, is open and roomy,
a relationality that invites us in. As such, it pictures what the church should
be. So, we conclude with an intriguing engagement with Mary, who serves as our
teacher, showing us that escalating fertility is not the answer; it is
relationality that provides rest. As we embrace this relationality that Mary
shares with her son, we can become a community that enables us to share sorrow,
suffering, and joy. Growth may come as a result, but it will be organic and
relational.
If you are hoping to stem the tide
of decline by embracing the latest methodologies, so you can “do better” by
innovating the church back to a perceived golden age when the Mainline churches
were full and culturally influential, you may find the work of Andrew Root
disappointing. He doesn’t offer us a course in Church Growth 101 like the
influencers might offer. But if you are tired of trying to keep up with the
latest methods and gadgets so you can innovate your way to dynamic
stabilization and are ready to embark on the path to growth that the relationality
Mary and Jesus represent, then Andrew Root’s Baal and the Gods of More: Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry might be what you are looking for.
Copies of Baal and the Gods of More by Andy Root can be purchased at your favorite retailer, including my Amazon affiliate bookstore and my Bookshop.org affiliate store.
Comments