What Will the Collapse of Christianity Look Like

The daily topics of this blog are often about the decline of Christianity. While the decline is no longer "news" as it was a decade ago when I started blogging, what remains unknown is how its final chapters will look and what will replace it. 

Christian pundits themselves use lots of ink writing about the decline. Seldom, however, do they look at themselves introspective. The usual theme is, "How can we present the faith so people come back to it?" Almost never does someone in the faith say, "You know, this product we call the faith was flawed from day one. People have found its flaws and are leaving it behind. We need to change the product to something people will buy."

Today a leader in the Anglican Church of Canada came close to facing the truth. That denomination is declining rapidly. Staff reductions and consolidations have taken place. It was once huge in Canada. The denomination's person said, "Canadians are no longer very interested in the Anglican Church. They are not interested in Christianity."

I can imagine there are Christians who would read his quote and say, "How can someone not be interested in how he/she will spend eternity?" Thinking outside the box is not something everyone can do. That many, perhaps the majority today, do not think there is a life after life or don't think it is worth their time to discuss it is out of reach to many Christians. As the official in the Canadian Anglican Church has concluded, most of the public is not interested in spending their Sunday mornings discussing sin nor eternity nor hearing about the money needed to continue a group that discusses these things.

The denomination of my youth, the Covenant Church, claims to be expanding. It is focusing its marketing in urban areas, especially in California. Its original area was the rural Midwest. A recent article about the Presbyterian denomination quotes an official as saying it hoped to find support in ethnic communities and in the gay community. Both of these denominations ordain women. 

It seems local the first step in reversing a downward trend is learning why it is happening. This is a practical step even if there is not a clear solution.