Christianity's Spectacular Freefall Must be Resisted - How to Fight Pagan Secularism

"God Makes Nations Great & Destroys Them; Enlarges Nations & Disperses Them” Job 12: 13 & 23

Christianity Soon Toast? In this season of Christmas, a book claims that one of history’s most successful experiments in biblically inspired society, the United States, will soon be awash in unbelievers. But especially our youngest Americans, who seem much indifferent to sects and services. A recent essay in Grid, “A Mass Exodus from Christianity is Underway in America,” using prof Bullivant’s book “Nonverts” delivers a bracing challenge for Believers:

There’s a shocking rise in the number of people ditching Christianity, what sociologists call “nonverts.” It’s a “cultural whiplash” from religion to secularism that’s hit the US much faster than in other parts of the world, said theology & sociology professor Stephen Bullivant. Christians will be a minority in USA by 2070 if trends continue.

3 Reasons: Explaining why this sudden slump has occurred, Grid states: “There are 3 main answers to that question: the Cold War, 9/11 and the internet.” These ‘nonverts’ include both unbelievers & religious unaffiliated choosing not to join any group. Bullivant claims there’s as many different reasons as there are people who’ve dropped out of religion. But obviously the big motive for abandoning traditional faith has similar reasoning. But this trend is not set in stone.

Mainline Massacre: Has the American church lost its way? Apparently, the old mainline sects lost it long ago. Other, newer churches stepped away from a literal theology to try more user-friendly approaches. Some of these go “Woke” and apply the latest trends as their theology.

Woke Faith: Churches which strive to adapt to current social norms, such as CRT race theory and Global Warming, are losing members, like mainline Presbyterians & Anglicans. Both have been hemorrhaging members for decades and will collapse in a few more years, most likely
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See Politicized Presbyterian Church (USA) Falls Further, April 22, 2022:
“The Presbyterian Church (USA) released annual statistics showing a decline in membership in 2021 of 51,584 persons, a 4.1% rate of decline & total membership of 1.19 million members last year, compared to 1.48 million in 2016. The total number of churches is 8,813, a total of 112 fewer than in 2020. This is consistent with a precipitous and uninterrupted decline that intensified when the denomination revoked a “fidelity and chastity” clause from ordination vows that had required clergy to remain faithful in married life or chaste in single life. The General Assembly also enacted policies uniquely critical of the state of Israel and embraced a host of politically charged causes.”

See also, Episcopal leaders ponder church's Groundhog Day nightmares, Dec 17, 2020:
“A stunning 2019 report from Episcopal parishes showed 6,484 weddings – down 11.2% from the previous year. Baptism rites for children fell to 19,716 (a one-year drop of 6.5%), and adult baptisms to 3,866 (a one-year drop of 6.7%). Since 2003, baptisms are down 50%. Office of the General Convention statistics reported 1,637,945 members in 2019 (down 2.29% from 2018) and average attendance fell to 518,411 (down 2.25%). Median attendance dropped from 53 worshippers to 51, while 61% of parishes saw attendance declines of 10% or more.”

Analysis: So, what’s happening today is two separate veins of belief – one of older, more leftist churches caught up in woke & politics – and the other, the more conservative, are diverging. One continues to grow, while the other is slowly dying as its churches collapse. The more biblical these churches are, the more the average American seems to enjoy them. Congregations that simply mirror our society are seen as redundant, boring and overly political, and end up failing.

Why Has Christianity Faded? Here are some suggestions: 1. We've lived comfortable lives so long there's not many conversions by disaster. 2. Traditional virtues taught by Christianity have fallen out of favor, such as chastity, modesty, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, friendliness, long suffering, and dedication to serving others. 3. Our entire education system is based on scientific materialism – the idea that the universe and everything in it runs on autopilot.

Fading Belief: 4. Generations of Marxism sowed seeds of doubt into the US about everything once considered good in America, teaching we are crude, greedy, and cruel. 5. Truth itself is a fiction, so we shouldn’t put our faith into anything concrete. 6. That a remote, yet benevolent God presides over our universe so that everyone will go to heaven, except for devils like Hitler & Mao. Ergo, fear and doubt have been banished by a loving Deity.

Rise or Fall of Christ: We certainly face a drastic fall in Believers if matters don’t change. But, don’t panic – because these are simply tendencies which can be reversed with commitment, hard work, faith and God’s generous blessings.

Fear Not, But Pray: The best we can do is to pray, Bible in hand, and then recommit ourselves to launching a new age of missionary work. So that every American may hear the Word and judge whether Jesus saves mankind – each who calls upon His name. For it is God who decides which society survives or perishes. But all who reject God’s Word will fall.

Job 12: 13 & 23 “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his: He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.”