Is Christianity Growing?
http://www.reasonabl...-more-religious
Organized Christianity has lost a significant portion of its younger adherents 18-35 in the past ten years. Not that they're becoming atheist but they are increasingly disappointed and disgusted with the activities and beliefs of politically active and conservative Christians. Antihomosexuality alone has backfired, followed by overinvolvement in politics, hypocrisy, sexism and general intolerance. The Catholic Church recently had a small panic attack when they recognized the generational gap... which meant that when the older generation dies, their numbers of adherents plummets with them, and there goes a lot of money. So that is why the Vatican has changed some of their policies recently, and is why the new Pope is such a swell guy. It's all about regaining Christians who want a more tolerant Christianity.
And lol, don't think Protestant denominations haven't suffered either. Most of the 'liberal' denominations are okay, but several of the more fundamentalist denominations, including Evangelicalism, have lost and are continuing to lose the young adult and middle aged adherents. That's why you see this pop culture nonsense "I'm not religious, I have a personal relationship with Jesus", other silly denials of religioisity, refusals to identify as Christian (while actually still being Christian)... etc etc all of this is a result of people trying to distance themselves from the dark side of organized Christianity (of which you are a part)
Popular Evangelical blogger appeals to fellow Christians
http://rachelheldeva...-north-carolina
How to win a culture war and lose a generation
When asked by The Barna Group what words or phrases best describe Christianity, the top response among Americans ages 16-29 was antihomosexual. For a staggering 91 percent of non-Christians, this was the first word that came to their mind when asked about the Christian faith. The same was true for 80 percent of young churchgoers. (The next most common negative images? : judgmental, hypocritical, and too involved in politics.)
In the book that documents these findings, titled unChristian, David Kinnaman writes:
The gay issue has become the big one, the negative image most likely to be intertwined with Christianitys reputation. It is also the dimensions that most clearly demonstrates the unchristian faith to young people today, surfacing in a spate of negative perceptions: judgmental, bigoted, sheltered, right-wingers, hypocritical, insincere, and uncaring. Outsiders say [Christian] hostility toward gays...has become virtually synonymous with the Christian faith.
Later research, documented in Kinnamans You Lost Me, reveals that one of the top reasons 59 percent of young adults with a Christian background have left the church is because they perceive the church to be too exclusive, particularly regarding their LGBT friends. Eight million twenty-somethings have left the church, and this is one reason why.
In my experience, all the anecdotal evidence backs up the research.
When I speak at Christian colleges, I often take time to chat with students in the cafeteria. When I ask them what issues are most important to them, they consistently report that they are frustrated by how the Church has treated their gay and lesbian friends. Some of these students would say they most identify with what groups like the Gay Christian Network term Side A (they believe homosexual relationships have the same value as heterosexual relations in the sight of God). Others better identify with Side B (they believe only male/female relationship in marriage is Gods intent for sexuality). But every single student I have spoken with believes that the Church has mishandled its response to homosexuality.
Most have close gay and lesbian friends.
Most feel that the Churchs response to homosexuality is partly responsible for high rates of depression and suicide among their gay and lesbian friends, particularly those who are gay and Christian.
Most are highly suspicious of ex-gay ministries that encourage men and women with same-sex attractions to marry members of the opposite sex in spite of their feelings.
Most feel that the church is complicit, at least at some level, in anti-gay bullying.
And most...I daresay all...have expressed to me passionate opposition to legislative action against gays and lesbians.
When evangelicals turn their anti-gay sentiments into a political campaign, one college senior on her way to graduate school told me, all it does is confirm to my gay friends that they will never be welcome in the church. It makes them bitter, and it makes me mad too. This is why I never refer to myself as an evangelical. Ugh. Im embarrassed to be part of that group.
I can relate.
When Tennessee added an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage (even though it was already illegal in the state), members of my church at the time put signs in the yard declaring support for the initiative. From my perspective, the message this sent to the entire community was simple: EVERYONE BUT GAYS WELCOME.
Dan and I left the church soon afterwards.
Which brings me to North Carolina and Amendment One.
Despite the fact that the North Carolina law already holds that marriage in the eyes of state is only between a man and a woman, an amendment was put on the ballot to permanently ban same-sex marriage in the state constitution. The initiative doesnt appear to change anything on a practical level, (though some are saying it may have unintended negative consequences on heterosexual relationships), but seems to serve primarily as an ideological statement
....an expensive, destructive, and impractical ideological statement.
Conservatives in the statewho you would think would be more opposed to tampering with constitutionssupported the amendment, and last night it passed. Religious leaders led the charge in support of the amendment, with 93-year-old Billy Graham taking out multiple ads in publications across the state supporting the measure.
As I watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds last night, the reaction among my friends fell into an imperfect but highly predictable pattern. Christians over 40 were celebrating. Christians under 40 were mourning. Reading through the comments, the same thought kept returning to my mind as occurred to me when I first saw that Billy Graham ad: Youre losing us.
Ive said it a million times, and Ill say it again...(though Im starting to think that no one is listening):
My generation is tired of the culture wars.
We are tired of fighting, tired of vain efforts to advance the Kingdom through politics and power, tired of drawing lines in the sand, tired of being known for what we are against, not what we are for.
And when it comes to homosexuality, we no longer think in the black-and-white categories of the generations before ours. We know too many wonderful people from the LGBT community to consider homosexuality a mere issue. These are people, and they are our friends. When they tell us that something hurts them, we listen. And Amendment One hurts like hell.
Regardless of whether you identify most with Side A or Side B, (or with one of the many variations within those two broad categories), it should be clear that amendments like these needlessly offend gays and lesbians, damage the reputation of Christians, and further alienate young adultsboth Christians and non-Christianfrom the Church.
So my question for those evangelicals leading the charge in the culture wars is this: Is it worth it?
Is a political victory really worth losing millions more young people to cynicism regarding the Church?
Is a political victory worth further alienating people who identify as LGBT?
Is a political victory worth perpetuating the idea that evangelical Christians are at war with gays and lesbians?
And is a political victory worth drowning out that quiet but persistent internal voice that askswhat if we get this wrong?
Too many Christian leaders seem to think the answer to that question is yes, and it's costing them.
Because young Christians are ready for peace.
We are ready to lay down our arms.
We are ready to stop waging war and start washing feet.
And if we cannot find that sort of peace within the Church, I fear we will look for it elsewhere.
Edited by Duchykins, 17 July 2014 - 05:46 AM.