Skye Illustrates & Explains his "Boat vs Raft" Analogy (Ep. 526) (Patreon)

In Episode 526, we discussed an article by Kirsten Sanders titled "The Evangelical Question in the History of American Religion." During our conversation, I used the metaphor of a boat versus a raft to describe the difference between historic Christianity and modern evangelicalism. I decided to turn the idea into a simple doodle (similar to the ones I draw for my WITH GOD DAILY devotionals). Here's the explanation:

HISTORIC CHRISTIANITY...
...is like a boat with a rigid hull floating in the cultural currents. That means its basic structures and doctrines are unchanging. The waves of the culture will affect the boat. It will pitch and roll as the culture shifts. The boat may even get tossed or capsized by the waves, but the shape of the hull won't change. Think of the enduring forms of the Roman Catholic mass, the historic creeds of the church, liturgies, and the church calendar. Change come slowly to historic Christian churches, and sometimes it doesn't come at all.

20th CENTURY EVANGELICALISM...
...is like an inflatable raft that bends and conforms to the cultural currents. It's more flexible and adapts to the shape of the water. While bouyant with historic biblical beliefs, it's more malleable than other Christian traditions. Evangelicalism morphs to attract an audience, appeal to religious consumers, and affirm popular views. It embraces new media, adjusts to changing social values, and mimics the structures of corporations for efficiency. This adaptability has made evangelicalism very successful, but also very fragile.

21st CENTURY EVANGELICALISM...
...is like a deflated raft that no longer floats above the cultural currents. Instead, it's quickly consumed by the water once its fragile skin is punctured. The escaping air is the loss of historic Christian doctrines and fidelity to scripture in pursuit of heresies like Christian Nationalism, Dominionism, and the Prosperity Gospel. Oddly, those sinking beneath the surface rarely panic. Instead, they celebrate their descent into cultural and political idolatry. In some cases, they will actively mock the words of Jesus as they sink.