What to do if You are Losing Your Faith
I came across a page advertising books for people who feel doubts about their faith. There are lots of them. One of them, Before You Lose Your Faith; Deconstructing Doubt in the Church. (The Gospel Coalition) was discussed on a site which covers many aspects of Christianity from fundamentalism to atheism. I also looked up the book itself to see what its promotional material claimed.
While I will not part with my money to buy such a book, I have an ongoing curiosity about this topic. Christian numbers are falling. What is the Christian establishment doing about this? That is, what are the giant Southern Baptist Convention and Catholic Church doing to stop the bleeding?
The Gospel Coalition which published to book does not include any women or Catholics in its governing body. It is heavily weighted with what appear to be Southern Baptists and fellow travelers. The statement of purpose said the Coalition is "Reformed" whatever that means. Thus, the Gospel Coalition is a proxy for a large swath of Christianity in the U.S., perhaps 100 million people.
I was eager to read reviewers because everything else I have read for years did not yield one idea for how the Christian establishment was going to reverse it falling numbers. There are polls studying this, professors, authors and pundits all noting the problem but none offers a tested and successful solution. Surely somewhere someone is championing something that works.
From the review I read this book, the title of which suggests it contains a solution, contains no such thing. It is an "editor's choice" book with several separate articles. Recently there was a podcast of the authors discussing their take on the problem and predictably none put forward a solution.
So, the question is why would this group publish a book that hinted at a solution when it actually presented no solution. The reviewer explained why this happened. The book is not aimed actually at people with doubt but at people with no doubt. People with no doubt will buy books giving them confidence they are superior to those with doubt. The book is meant to be a money maker for The Gospel Coalition, not an effort to stop Christian decline.
It includes advice something like a marriage vow. If you have doubt you must double down on your commitment to your religious clan. Just keep going to church and going through the motions even if both mean nothing to you.
This, of course, is the same advice given since the beginning of Christianity. It it not working. But the book will make someone some money.
If you doubt The Good Book and before you lose your faith here is a good book. Cha-ching!
ReplyDeleteArdy B "Cha ching!"
ReplyDeleteAnother great observation about Christianity and "Cha-ching" is bouncing around the net today. It says, "Christianity is the greatest business model ever. It sells an invisible product and if it doesn't work out for you it's your fault."
I've been thinking of using Christianity's line for atheism. "If you can't accept atheism it means you have a hardened heart."
"Christian numbers are falling."
ReplyDeleteActually, Christian numbers are increasing, not that numbers should be the focus. Should I modify my practices because of numbers?
Henry "Christian numbers are increasing..."
DeleteChristian numbers in the Western World are down. World wide, numbers are still growing, percentage of the population falling.
"Should I modify my practices because of numbers?" Just remember you are not an atheist because you have a defect, hardened heart.
"Just remember you are not an atheist because you have a defect, hardened heart."
DeleteThat may be true from a worldly perspective. The other day, the Moorhead mosque, where the moslems practice, got all the nasty vandalism cleaned up by a large crowd including Satanists. My hardened heart was not out there scrubbing the next day. The kind hearted Satanists were out there scrubbing up a storm. They made sure they found a camera and reporter.
I'm trying to figure out why Satanists are part of this discussion. I personally consider Satan to be JAT (just another deity).
DeleteOf course, Satanists generally view their title as a form of satire, mocking the religions who use such scare tactics to get people to fall in line. I personally feel that such tactics, along with referring to such absurd entities like the Flying Spaghetti Monster, are offensive at the core.
So we share something in common. We both dislike self-professed Satanists and FSM "followers".
"We both dislike self-professed Satanists and FSM "followers"."
DeletePlease do not make me go back into the archives from 9, 10 years ago and look up your arguments about the FSM.
You might have to go back farther than that. The first time I read about FSM from a Richard Dawkins book, I realized that I did not want to be associated with that group.
DeleteMy views on atheism were already well shaped by the time "new-age" atheism became in vogue. It was through the vitriol of this new-age atheism that I realized that such vitriol was misplaced. I think you'll find that common among atheists. Many folks who were indoctrinated into religious beliefs have to work through a tremendous amount of anger in order to be at peace with what they really believe, and I was no exception. I do believe (though I do make mistakes with memory from time to time) that I've always been opposed to using FSM to degrade religion, but I won't claim to have never been a militant atheist.
It was militant atheists from about the time that the Area Voice site was starting out that shaped the modern day pragmatic view on religion that I hold today. It wasn't on this blog, though. I've been following Mr. Lindgren for years, but I've just started posting on this blog over the last six months or so.