What if the Majority Despises Christianity


An article appeared recently in the Christian press with the view there have been three phases in how the general public views Christianity. The first, many decades ago, was that Christianity was a positive force in society. That changed to decades where it was neither positive nor negative, neutral. Now, the article said, a majority has a negative view of Christianity. Discussion since has been about how conservative branches of the faith, the most visible and most discussed, should react to this new setting. 

The link points to an alarming fact, no strategy has been agreed upon in the faith to deal with this new reality where a majority either dislikes or despises it. The closest thing that might be called a strategy is to move further to the right, be more aggressive and dogmatic, and hold onto a hard core of believers. This hard core, it is assumed, will launch a new, aggressive and successful effort when the public turns to again admire Christianity. 

Why do optimists in the faith think something better, acceptance, awaits them just around the next corner of time? In history, there was no good news for Paganism once it was out of favor. Some Christians who stop in at this blog seem to believe Christianity will rebloom as it has done in the past. Nothing about the future can be known for certain. Evidence does provide us with odds. When it rebounded in the past Christianity had a privileged status. That is gone.

The link author, a retired Southern Baptist preacher, see overturn of Roe as a high point in conservative Christian history. He does not understand why the secular public is not admiring and expressing appreciation for this accomplishment. I, on the other hand, do not understand why anyone would think taking rights away from half the adult population would make a group more popular. Just the opposite makes more sense.

It's an improvement that some pundits in the faith are realizing the majority is growing to dislike the faith instead of believing the myth it is admired by all. A shortcoming remains, that the dislike may never reverse. Big thinkers need to ponder a strategy of how to survive in a sea of scoffing majorities. 

Comments

  1. Ardy BJuly 17, 2022 at 9:49 AM

    Jon, “When it rebounded in the past Christianity had a privileged status. That is gone.”

    It may be gone but there are way too many Christian moralists in federal, state, and local governments, including state supreme courts and the SCOTUS, trying their damnedest to resurrect Christianity’s privileged status. Legalized and legislated privilege. How American.

    I think much of the school prayer, 2nd Amendment, abortion; god, guns, and babies craze is just disingenuous Jesus-ing. Why, ain’t it interesting how at the damnedest times, life draws moral relativism from moral absolutism, tolerance from prejudice and vice versa. Like trying to dance around the story of a pregnant 10 year old rape victim having to leave a forced birth state to get an abortion, Catherine Glenn Foster, the president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said, “I believe it would probably impact her life, and so, therefore, it would fall under any exception and would not be an abortion”. So accordingly the girl just gets in under the wire. Never mind. It was just a dusting and cleaning. But you can bet the doctor that performed the non-abortion is still going to catch hell — the scapegoat. How Christian.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 17, 2022 at 12:36 PM

    Ardy B "..therefore, it would fall under any exception and would not be an abortion." I'm sure the lady added silently to herself, "But there are no guarantees. Our first obligation in right to life is the 'baby'." The anti-abortion movement is rotten to the core.

    ReplyDelete

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