Patheos.com, in its summer series on The Future of Religion, is featuring essays from authors and experts on the Future of Evangelicalism this week. They received so many responses that the essays will be released in several segments according to the following themes:

Ed Stetzer, author and church research pioneer, recommends that evangelicals discuss and resolve four key issues:

1) Navigate a "post-seeker context" to deliver their message in new ways;
2) Regain a confidence in "a more robust, biblically discerning gospel";
3) "Address the definition of evangelicalism" due to confusion with the broad spectrum; and
4) "Address our shallow definition of discipleship," turning beliefs into practice.

Matthew Lee Anderson, senior editor for Evangelical Outpost, notes that "evangelicals are beginning to connect their doctrine with the rest of their lives in ways that previous generations had forgotten," but suggests that evangelicals need to "cease dating (or 'courting,' as evangelicals prefer to say) the broader Christian tradition. We need to marry it outright."

Al Hsu, author of The Suburban Christian and editor at InterVarsity Press, suggests that evangelicals may be falling into tribe-like tendencies to "self-sort" in "echo chambers where conservatives become more conservative and liberals more liberal, since neither side receives the moderating influence of the other." He suggests "Evangelicalism needs to recover what some have called the 'village green' where the members of different tribes can find common ground," akin to the movie "The Breakfast Club."

Read more essays about the Future of Evangelicalism at Patheos.com.