As Christian Numbers Fall, Much of it Cannot Change


The farm where I grew up was the "home place" where my father and his many brothers and sisters also grew up. Since my grandparents still lived nearby we had a constant stream of aunts, uncles and cousins who lived in large cities in other states returning "home" for visits.

I recall a conversation with an uncle who was a doctor on the east coast. We were talking about the city nearby with about 25,000 people and the large number of churches there. This uncle said, "Why so many churches? Why don't they hire a preacher with something to say and have one big successful church?"

He did not understand the Christian faith survives, thrives, on being able to look down, not only on atheists and other world religions, but on each other. Each church in that city survived by thinking itself better than the others. This trait lives on and will remain so long as there is a Christian faith. 

Today there is a lot of introspection because of the support within Christianity of Donald Trump. The prominent publisher and former Souther Baptist Russell Moore is often in the news telling all Christians they need to repent of supporting Trump. Moore's lack of understanding the need for looking down on others is central to the faith is obvious. Even though evangelicals who support Trump might know they are hurting the faith they enthusiastically continue because it's their version of fun.

How many people who are engaged in self-destructive behavior are enthusiastic about changing their behavior. People who overeat, drink too much and enjoy not exercising are happier harming themselves than changing. Christians who are Trump supporters are no different. It would be humiliating to admit one's support the Trump because he promised to appoint anti-abortion judges was a big mistake. Better to keep on saying it was not a mistake and all this business about indictments is a political power play. Alcoholics say something similar to themselves.

I amuse myself be watching websites that feature preachers and denominational officials talking about their (better than the rest) denominations. When the subject of falling numbers comes up, almost never do these officials acknowledge one of their big problems is that much of the public no longer believes in a god, sin, afterlife and all that goes with it. Reality is if they want their denomination to retain its numbers it has to adapt to what fits the public's thinking about such things today. This is so difficult it borders on the impossible. It is like trying to persuade an atheist there really is an invisible something that has power over him. Not going to happen. 

It's always speculative, but the future looks to be an inevitable decline in Christianity. That is the case because a different future is not available. 

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