The Areopagus Evangelical Disintegration
Jan 22, 2026
Deacon Seraphim Rowland, a catechist and commentator with Ancient Faith and Orthodox Studies, reflects on shifts in American evangelicalism. He traces the rise and fracture of charismatic movements. Conversations cover cultural change, online influence, declining pastoral authority, and why some seekers turn to Orthodoxy. Short, exploratory, and focused on movements reshaping contemporary faith.
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Early Warning From 2009 Proved Prescient
- Michael Spencer predicted an evangelical collapse rooted in internal weaknesses rather than only external pressure.
- The hosts trace ongoing fragmentation and theological drift back to those 2009 observations.
Revolutions Become Establishment Or Fade
- The Emergent movement rose by borrowing postmodern methods and later largely faded or moved into other genres.
- Revolutions often institutionalize or dissipate as their edge becomes mainstream.
Charismatic Growth Plus Fragmentation
- Pentecostal and charismatic forms have become the dominant strand within U.S. evangelicalism.
- Their growth coexists with fragmentation because ecstatic practice democratizes leadership and spawns new groups.
