Musings: Notes From My Daybook

Last week, the Pew Forum released a major report on church affiliation.  The big news is that many people are changing churches.  The study found that 44% of Americans have changed churches or for 28%, they have changed religious faith.  By changing religious faith, that would include those who cease to go to church at all.

Certainly it is not the best of news for those of us who practice the Christian faith.   In fact, among the great diversity in religous groups in America--Protestant, Catholic, Jew, Muslim, and eastern religions--the single biggest gainer is the group the report calls the "unaffiliated!"  But is this really new news?  I am not so sure.  It seems to me that what is happening now really has seeds in what has occurred before.  In a culture that emphasizes liberty to pursue whatever you desire and resists the impulse to consider virtues as a public conversation and need, then religious practices suffer.  Likewise, when wealth and freedom excel, when humans can seemingly solve our own problems, then the idea that religion has something meaningful to offer suffers.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Christian people should go around thinking of ways to make the world look bad.  Humans (including Christians) seem to have a way of  doing that all by themselves.  And, it might be good to keep in mind that Christian affiliation has been through numerous shifts from one denomination to another and one degree of fervency to another through much of America's history.  Martin Marty points this out in his comments (to be posted here) earlier today.

However, one thing is clear.  Christianity in North America has some significant challenges ahead.  In the middle of the "competition" going on among various religious groups that the Pew Forum identifies, the questions that really begs an answer is whether the church in North America can rise above competition and move toward  authentic, compelling discipleship.  The significant increase in non-affiliated people in American life today, are not going to be impressed with an new ad campaign.  Besides   if Jesus were interested in market strategies, he would have gone to Madison Avenue instead of Via Delarosa.