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I can understand that. Perhaps now more people are actually reading the Bible instead of just Going to Church. Many people post here that they reject organized religion (which is what the figures indicate is happening, pace several bods declaring that where they are it is increasing exponentially) but they find a lot to admire in the Bible. In comparison, Origin of species, while fundamental in a rethinking of what humanity is, is probably seen as more limited in its relevance to humanity.
Or perhaps more reverence for the Bible means that Christianity is in fact growing apace. let's await the next lot of figures, shall we?
The question in my mind is "Why aren't fundamentalists out there screaming 'Why isn't God stepping in and doing something about this?!' "
If you're a parent (God is a parent, presumably) and you see your child (the Church is God's child, presumably) stepping into oncoming traffic (dying a death by a thousand cuts) wouldn't you, as a responsible parent rush out to save him from certain death??
Yet God is nowhere to be seen in this demographic seismic shift away from Christianity:
A dozen books (or more) have been written analyzing this new phenomenon of dying churches. One author puts it at 100,000 all over America, mostly in small towns--boarded-up, abandoned buildings that are being turned into half-way houses, or historic monuments. Creative pastors like the one at the church where jimmiej goes are finding ways to patch the hemorrhage and credit is due him.
We all know why Joel Osteen is so successful--because he preaches "cotton-candy" theology which tickles people's ears. He probably also has a great singles program to match up single successful businessmen with trophy wives who want to stay home and raise babies. This is after all Texas, where there's enough land to build 4,000 sq.ft mansions on one-acre tracts for $500,000 or less and business is booming there. A man who wants the American dream of successful career, a wife who looks like Angelina Jolie, and 3.5 blonde-haired, blue-eyed children won't find a better place to build it than Texas. All god reasons for attending Joel Osteen's megaChurch.
But what about the "Dones" who are joining ranks with the "Nones". They range from simple fundamentalists dropping out of attendance to fundamentalists turning deist/agnostic/atheist/another religion or no religion.
One of the headlines in the HuffPost article jumps out at the reader:
A New Church May One Day Emerge, but the Present Church You Can Kiss Good-bye
The author describes in stark terms how the well-worn model of Convocation/Music/Singing/Sermon/Altar-Call/Doxology has pretty much run it course and people are just plain tired of it, hence the new category of "Dones".
I personally welcome the demise of Christianity in its present form because it is too phonied up with fraud apologists like Craig, McDowell, Habermas, and Licona trying to prop up a corpse. I would welcome a totally new Christianity that does away with the Old Testament and radically restructures the New Testament to reflect all the scholarship that has opened the insides of a corrupt church system for all the world to see.
We may yet live long enough to witness such a miracle.
It's interesting how some folks can't distinguish between an overall pattern and anecdotal or local patterns. If the overall pattern suggests that religion is on the decline, trying to debunk it with the growth of your mega-church is a lot like someone taking you to an affluent gated community in 2009 and saying, "See? There is no recession!"
(I actually remember someone on a different forum saying, during the Christmas season of 2008, "Last time I went to the mall, the parking lot was full, so how can there be a recession?")
At any rate, you cannot judge national and global trends based on what happens down the street from you. If it were that easy, we wouldn't need the media any longer (including the news on the internet).
"Whaddya mean there have been 20,000 fatal car accidents last year? There've only been five accidents, none fatal, and they all happened at the intersection with the blinking yellow light in the center of town!"
I can understand that. Perhaps now more people are actually reading the Bible instead of just Going to Church. Many people post here that they reject organized religion (which is what the figures indicate is happening, pace several bods declaring that where they are it is increasing exponentially) but they find a lot to admire in the Bible. In comparison, Origin of species, while fundamental in a rethinking of what humanity is, is probably seen as more limited in its relevance to humanity.
Or perhaps more reverence for the Bible means that Christianity is in fact growing apace. let's await the next lot of figures, shall we?
Yes, I can see people turning away from organized religion, but I do not see people turning away from God any time soon. If anything I am seeing more and more people becoming more "spiritual".
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashleynj
Yes, I can see people turning away from organized religion, but I do not see people turning away from God any time soon. If anything I am seeing more and more people becoming more "spiritual".
Being spiritual has nothing to do with believing in any kind of a god.
A great meme is:
"You don't have to be religious to be spiritual, but you better be spiritual if you are religious".
In the 1st Century they were literally killing Christians. In some country that still happens. Yet...the church continues to grow among persecuted people. I'm not concerned if nominal Christianity is struggling. Christianity will survive. I honestly don't care if it's the predominant, biggest religion. The Bible never says we will be the most popular.
There was no widespread christian persecution in the 1st century. that is an invention of the church
There was no widespread christian persecution in the 1st century. that is an invention of the church
How do you know that?
I can read Acts and see differently. People were beaten and killed for being Christians. Perhaps not in the numbers that they were later on...but they were still persecuted and killed.
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let's await the next lot of figures, shall we?
