It is time once again for the weekly inquisition. I encourage, nay, beseech you to post an answer or comment to this weeks question. Simply click on the comment button below, type your comment in the comment window followed by your name unless you want to remain anonymous, click anonymous, then publish.
Time magazine's investigative report of the decline of Christianity in the United States was picked up by the major news outlets this Holy Week. Interesting timing as many Christians meditate on a similar dynamic as the original Holy Week progressed from triumphal entry to desertion.
Do you have an explanation for the decline in the number of professing Christians in the US? Is it a good thing or a bad thing or both? Why? Does it matter at all? If you are a Christian, how does that decline make you feel? If you are not, same question?
I love this question. It depends what is meant by the term "christian". Many people go to church for various reasons. In short, there are a lot of people who go to church, but few christians. There are a vast number of reasons a person might leave. The human implementation of the spiritual leaves a lot to be desired. People might feel as if they can't go to church because they will be judged. That they can't be human. Others might simply be there because they think their kids need to go. There are lots of reasons that travel along this road, but I submit that it is something deeper.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the Church's image as it stands at the moment, assumedly in the eyes of non-believers, is artificial. It's a whitewashed tomb of sorts. I am not saying that this is right. I am saying that this is what is. Church has been corporatized and politicized. You go to get your tall, grande, or venti sized jesus that tastes a lot like not allowing homosexuals to get married. When you finish you drive off to your suburban home in your suburban with your 2.5 kids. Regrettably Jesus has been turned into a talking point amongst the right wing (capitalist nascar jesus) and the left wing (jesus the socialist hybrid driver) politicos. It's strange, but that's the image. If you do go to church people sing prozac songs and maybe fall out in the floor, or maybe they sit there like oatmeal. I think this unfortunate occurrence is the result of Me-centrism.
Me-centrism is a term I think I made up on the spot. It means that people see church from a perspective focused almost exclusively on "me". Jesus saved me. What can I do to make me better? How am I doing? How is my faith. You rain down on me jesus. -----I am not saying that any of this is wrong, per se, but the problem is that it can, and does, breed complacency. Complacency leads to stagnation. And what's stagnant in this case eventually dies in a sense. Think about it, if your relationship with jesus is increasingly and eventually exclusively focused on yourself--what you need and how you feel then who are you worshiping? Don't get me wrong, centering yourself in Christ, prayer, and all these types of things are essential, but it's like one part of the body is refusing to work with the others in a sense. The greatest commandments are love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and secondly, love your neighbor as yourself (for this sums up the law and the prophets). The way we relate to Christ is through introspection, but also through actively loving other people. Further evidence is found when jesus gets redundant with Peter. Jesus asked Peter "do you love me", three times in all, Peter says yes, and Jesus then follows up with three separate statements to each of Peter's yes answers: "feed my sheep, tend my lambs, and take care of my sheep." I am a lamb, you are a lamb, together we're the sheep. I am the church, you are the church, and we are the church together. Maybe the lambs aren't getting tended, fed, or cared for because we are losing our ability to really love each other. The symptoms of this are found in churches everywhere. People are allowed to go, sing praise and worship songs (one of which undoubtedly references rain and another is stuffed so full fluff and air that it would make a marshmellow jealous) and then leave. It's like we've lost our ability to connect. Without feeling a connection people leave. It was about them anyway. Why do I need to go somewhere else to care about me?
Maybe the answer is that it has become socially acceptable not to go, and therefore people feel less compelled.
Anonymous, Who are you to judge?
ReplyDeleteHow do you know who are Christian?
Are you God?