General discussion and observations about life in these United States. Topics include politics, economics, and general commentary.
Published on March 17, 2009 By jdkeepsmiling In Religion


I was pointed to this survey by a friend. It is a very detailed survey of religious attitudes in America. The information is very interesting and thought provoking. I give it credence because they have been using the same methodology over many years, so even if they are wrong, they should at least show trends well. The trend, if you are a mainline Christian like myself, is not a good one. The old churches in every town, the Methodist and Presbyterian ones, are basically in a free fall. Catholicism is holding steady, but basically only because of immigration from Central and South America. Evangelical Christianity has continued to explode to now well over 8 million adherents. Overall adherence to any religion is also down. I encourage you to read the survey and respond to my thoughts below.

1. It is interesting that old mainline Protestant churches are in decline. My church is growing, so I really cannot speak to what others in my denomination are going through. My church is First Presbyterian of Plymouth, in MI. I would say that we are probably gaining more members from megachurches now then we are losing to them. I'll talk about that a little in my next point. My guess is a lot of the decline in these mainline churches is in small towns, where there was always a Methodist or Presbyterian church. Now that population is getting older and the church is therefore shrinking.

2. The megachurch phenomenon, in my opinion, is peaking, if not already in decline. I want to make it clear that in no way am I ripping on the megachurch concept, more just an opinion based on my anecdotal observations as head of our new member committee. megachurches will continue to play a vital role in Christian life, but I believe that while VERY good at making new Christians (something us mainliners struggle with sometimes), they are not the best at feeding the soul of someone who is past the introduction stage. Of course there are many exceptions to this, but we gain members from megachurches who say they are looking for more depth in their church experience. Less show and more substance is something along the lines of what they say. Some are also seeking a more intimate experience.

3. As the report points out, over 30% of mainline protestants consider themselves born again. The lines between mainline and evangelical will continue to blur in the future. For some it is more about worship style; we have a full choir and a pipe organ and most evangelical churches have a video screen and a praise band. Nothing wrong with either style, just different for different people. You are also seeing a trend being championed by mainline churches called "emergent worship". This blends traditional elements of worship with intimacy and involvement often seen at evangelical churches. Think the worship service the Disciples had in a room when they gathered together.

4. Overall adherence to any organized religion is also down. Fifteen percent of all Americans claim they have no religious beliefs at all. People have commented to me that this is sad, and that it is a shame that religion is in decline in America. I honestly don't think that religious belief is in decline, I think claiming no religion has just become less taboo. Back in the 1950's, everyone went to church. Even if you did not believe, you probably went to church. Now people have the freedom to choose not to go without losing social status or being stigmatized. There is also the opinion put forth by people like Leonard Pitts, Jr. in his column here. Basically he says religion is corrupt, and if you just look at the headlines, a rational person would not accept the authority religion has claimed over God. I can readily see his point, but the great thing about America is that if you believe that religion is corrupt, you're free to start your own church.

I feel the Christianity will be just fine in the coming decades and centuries. We must remain relevant and vital to the communities we serve. Churches must come to realize that they are no longer the de facto social outlet for their community. I would expect overall levels of religious adherence to fall for a few more years and then stabilize and maybe slightly increase as the children of people who made the conscious choice to not go to church based on Mr. Pitts assessment start searching for something more in their lives. We'll be here waiting with open arms.


Comments
on Mar 17, 2009

Maybe the decline could also be attributed to a growing number of people realizing that there is act they can commit for the sake of God that they can't also commit just for the sake of itself?

 

Example - You can give to the poor, help the sick, volunteer, etc...without having a religion.  I think more people are doing those things for the sake of those things, and then Sunday is free.

on Mar 17, 2009

I saw the recent reports as well and as a born again Christian it didn't really surprise me.  Our culture is going one way and God, well he's always been in the same spot, but there's a huge gap growing and many are making the jump to the world's side and leaving the faith of their families.

I also know that we were warned this would happen.  Jesus said "when I come back will I even find faith on the earth?"  And Paul said that before the coming AC to look for the "falling away from the faith."  2 Thess 2.  So this could be prohecy being fulfilled right before our very eyes.

I believe this could be a time where the wheat and chaff are starting to separate.  I fully expect in the next few years that the genuine Christians (in contrast to those with a "said" faith) will go underground; possibly meeting in homes like they did in the first century under intense persecution. 

 

on Mar 17, 2009

Maybe the decline could also be attributed to a growing number of people realizing that there is act they can commit for the sake of God that they can't also commit just for the sake of itself?



Example - You can give to the poor, help the sick, volunteer, etc...without having a religion. I think more people are doing those things for the sake of those things, and then Sunday is free.

Indeed, altruism for the sake of altruism, not necessarily as a means to gain something.

 

 

on Mar 17, 2009

not necessarily as a means to gain something.

who says that when I do something good as a Christian,  it is to gain something? 

Granted many do but that's not what genuine Christianity is about. They are deceived.

Christianity says that we do nothing to gain eternal life.  It's a free gift.  No strings attached.  Because of our gratefulness to the one who granted us freedom, life and light we do good things.  We do it in his name to give him glory for what he's done for us already.  There is no doing good deeds to inherit eternal life.

That was what the reformation was all about.  Luther saw that the RCC was in the indulgences business and went about to protest this. 

People do good deed for a variety of reasons.  Some give money or themselves because it makes them feel good.  Some give because they want recognition and honor.  Some give because they've been brought up to do so.  Some give to save money on their taxes....some give because  of karma or some such thing.  And others give out of the gratefulness for what they have. 

A born again Christian who understands the correct motivation behind giving, gives because he understands that it's all God's anyhow.  We are only giving back to him a portion of what's his already.  We give out of the abundance of our heart for what he's done for us.  The example held up to us is the rich young widow who gave all she had.  Another example held up to us was the rich young ruler who went away sad because he didn't want to give his riches away.  Both were touched by Christ but only one was so grateful to God she gave all she had.   

 

on Mar 17, 2009

who says that when I do something good as a Christian, it is to gain something?

Granted many do but that's not what genuine Christianity is about. They are deceived.

Christianity says that we do nothing to gain eternal life. It's a free gift. No strings attached. Because of our gratefulness to the one who granted us freedom, life and light we do good things. We do it in his name to give him glory for what he's done for us already. There is no doing good deeds to inherit eternal life.

That was what the reformation was all about. Luther saw that the RCC was in the indulgences business and went about to protest this.

People do good deed for a variety of reasons. Some give money or themselves because it makes them feel good. Some give because they want recognition and honor. Some give because they've been brought up to do so. Some give to save money on their taxes....some give because of karma or some such thing. And others give out of the gratefulness for what they have.

A born again Christian who understands the correct motivation behind giving, gives because he understands that it's all God's anyhow. We are only giving back to him a portion of what's his already. We give out of the abundance of our heart for what he's done for us. The example held up to us is the rich young widow who gave all she had. Another example held up to us was the rich young ruler who went away sad because he didn't want to give his riches away. Both were touched by Christ but only one was so grateful to God she gave all she had.

 

That's what I was implying; I did not intend to generalize there. An example is when I give or help people, I do it because it is right and just. Granted, I do "get" a good feeling out of it, but the primary motivation is that I care about people.

(Sometimes it does seem hopeless though in repetative cases, lol)

 

~Alderic

on Mar 17, 2009

oops

I should have said the "poor old widow."   She was in direct contrast to the rich young ruler.