Ed Stetzer (& Pew Research) on Nominals

[HammerStone]

I think it's easy to pontificate one way or another on the topic, but Ed Stetzer who's pretty fair in this regard, drilled down to some of the takeaways from recent Pew polls:

First, from 2007 to 2014 the number of evangelicals in America rose from 59.8 million to 62.2 million.

Evangelicals now make up a clear majority (55%) of all U.S. Protestants. In 2007, 51% of U.S. Protestants identified with evangelical churches.

Within Christianity, the only group retaining more of their population than the evangelical church is the historically black church.

That's not to say that evangelicalism is doing well—I think it peaked a couple of decades ago in the United States—but one of the big shifts INSIDE Christianity is TOWARD Evangelicalism, oddly enough. Yet, in the culture as a whole, and as a percentage of the population, Evangelicalism is losing ground.

Only 45% of those raised in the Mainline Protestant tradition remain in Mainline churches. Those whose parents and grandparents were mainline Protestants aren’t carrying on the family tradition like those who align with other Protestant denominations. Since members of these churches are not gaining new members from the culture at-large, nor growing by birth rates, they continue to decline precipitously.

In short, and as I put it, the "nominals" are becoming the "nones" AND convictional Christian practice is a minority, but generally stable, population. If that is the case, and that is what the data is showing, than the decline is primarily (not exclusively) that nominal Christians are becoming honest reporters.

I see this very much in my home state. In the old days, not going to church at least nominally might be enough to preclude a marriage or something similar. Now, those who do not hold faith are much more prone to publicly acknowledge that or even proclaim it. I think this is where a lot of the New Atheism schools of thought came from, and it has contributed to the vitriol of pushing Christianity from the de facto public square position it once held. Yes, that is uncomfortable for traditional Christians, and I think this is where some of the chicken little stuff comes from even within Evangelicalism.

What seems most interesting, is that unless Christianity is "weird" or involves some sort of difference with society, it tends to disappear. For all of evangelicalism's flaws and failures, it's been able to reach younger generations at some level, albeit reduced levels. Mainline denominations have been unable to do this. It's funny, but while "country club Christianity" is the common refrain for Conservative groups, it seems the mainline denominations almost doubled down on this. It becomes hard to devote time to something that you don't fully believe in and only performs good works like many other atheistic or secular orgs. Barely maintaining half of your membership is astounding for any club or organization.

That said, there should be no glee in any quarter, because the fields are ripe and the workers are so few.

 

[pom2014]

I cannot believe that atheism is in any way responsible for the reduced numbers of the faithful.

I see the main culprit is the leadership of the churches. These people are the main reason why people are turned away. From Graham and his antisemitism to the Westboro lot and their hate to wealthy clerics to sexual abuses of children adn women; these leaders are out of control and would turn any sensible person away.

What we need is to return to the way that The King set for us and to stop the public piety. All that does is bring attention to us and when we stumble, and we will, highlights to others how really fragile we are.

This is WHY the King said to do things in secret.

Prayer must stop being a public spectacle.
Alms as well.
They see us getting divorced in numbers and without approved reasons by the King.
Stop the hate of people, hate the sin, but leave the personal attack only for those that KNOWN better, the faithful that are more in tune with their own desire and not God's.
Stop the support for injustice and carnal war.
Stop the prosperity doctrines.
Stop the dating of the end of the world and then being wrong over and over and over.
Stop the snobbery and gossip.
Stop the support of fallen secular nations. PRAY for them, not help them further into the Ditch.
Stop the tradition for traditions sake.
Stop the yoking of the righteous with the unrighteous.
Stop the crazy dogma and rituals.
Stop giving love to ONLY those that love you.

We need to re-examine the whole of Christendom and go back to the real basics.
Not the ones from the 50's or the 30's or even the 19th century. But father to that which was given to us by The King.