Non Denominational Churches are on the Rise
When I think about religion I think of what happened to TV networks. I grew up with three of them. Then there were a dozen. Now, if we include You Tube and its knock offs we have thousands of content creators each with a following. Each has many characteristics of a TV network. It has viewers and sells something giving it an economic base.
If our interests are so varied why would not the same thing happen in religion? It is happening. Non denominational churches are replacing churches of the various denominations. Each of these will surely drift in its own direction of rituals and beliefs. I've mentioned here many times that Paganism is not united under one god but many. The trend toward non denominational churches was discussed by a demographer who studies trends in religion. He thinks this tread is an important one and I agree.
Let's remember that state legislatures in every state as well and DC have lobbyists. This requires a lot of money. Large religious groups like Catholics and Southern Baptists can bankroll this. Individual churches mostly cannot. A Catholic lobbyist can tell politicians he/she represents millions of members. An individual church represent a few hundred. A fractured Christianity will have less political influence than one made up of only a handful of denominations.
The link points out another difficulty in having few to no denomination. It is in defining the branch of the faith a church represents. Even now, what is meant by the term "evangelical" is difficult. When the word disappears from a church website prospective church goers may wonder what kind of a church it is.
It's safe to say Christianity has always been churning and changing. Perhaps this will happen even faster n the future.
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