1985 Postdenominational coffee shop

The title of the article I'm taking to the coffee shop this morning is a mouthful: "Postdenominational Christianity in the twenty-first century," by Donald E. Miller, Annals, American Academy of Political and Social Science, 558, July 1998. If I'm lucky, the Wall Street Journal will get there before I'm out of other things to read, because I'm sort of afraid this is going to be one of those "new paradigm," "seeker sensitive," "new reformation" dirges that are announcing in the death knell of liturgy, hymnal singing, and music that doesn't grow tumors in your ears.

Actually, I'm always surprised at the number of religious gatherings I find at the coffee shop. My husband meets with his Cursillo group at Bob Evans--although they move around a bit. I've met two different women named Brenda at Panera's, one is a chaplain and the other has recently moved here and reads her Bible and listens to music several times a week a few tables from me. I've invited her to our Saturday women's group because she is new in town and doesn't know anyone. At Caribou there's a very intense group of young business men who do Bible study before heading for work. This morning I'll see a group of 4 or 5 retired guys who meet to discuss their faith and response to the culture--I think they are Church of the Nazarene and Baptist. Then there is a black pastor and his assistant whom I see on occasion; they pastor a church north of here that meets in a shopping mall. In fact, I can't recall a time I've been in a coffee shop (as a semi-regular) that I haven't seen someone with a Bible.

Sometimes I want to look at my watch and say, "Let's have a word of prayer before we start this meeting," but I just go back to my reading.

Update: The WSJ didn't arrive until after I finished the article, which was really quite readable and well paced. It is based on the author's observations of Calvary Chapel, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, and Hope Chapel. Our church, UALC (Upper Arlington Lutheran Church), fits his description of the seeker-friendly, postdenominational church to a T, with the exception that we have seminary trained clergy, and many of these churches don't.