Telling ourselves the truth about ourselves is my theme at the moment.
One of those truths is that Christianity in America is in decline which, as it turns out, is based on data as much as empirical evidence.
According to an Atlantic/Aspen Institute American Values Survey taken in 2012, 46% of Americans think the influence of religion in our nation is declining, 28% think it is staying the same, and 24% think it is increasing.
Contrast that to a 1957 Gallup poll that found 69% thought the influence of religion was increasing, 10% thought it was staying the same, and only 14% thought it was declining.
In this instance perception might very well be reality. That is, if the majority of Americans believe the influence of religion is declining, then it is. It is difficult to have influence when people don’t believe you do.
At any rate, we know definitively that the decline of mainline churches began in the late 1960s, some ten years after the 1957 survey, and continues today.
But here’s the key point. There is, I believe, a link between the decline in mainline churches and the decline in the influence of religion in general and Christianity in particular.
That link exists because mainline Christianity has been replaced in the public arena with an evangelical Christianity that most Americans do not like.
From Jerry Falwell, Sr, and Jr. to Franklin Graham to Pat Robertson to James Dobson to organizations like the Family Research Council, Liberty Council, Operation Rescue, and so many others, the voice of Christianity the public has heard is one that is harsh, judgmental, and self-righteous, making Christianity anything but appealing to those who do not share its moralistic view on issues.
Evangelical churches have won the battle with mainline congregations in their size and influence. It’s just that their influence is negative and their size makes it impossible not to notice them. And apparently most Americans don’t like what they see.
It is discouraging that the Jesus we know as progressive Christians, the Jesus who was a friend of the poor, a prophetic voice for justice, a peacemaker, and an example of unconditional love, is not the Jesus the public hears about and sees in the actions of conservative Christianity.
But that should not and cannot stop us from being the kind of Christians we are.
That may not seem like much given the fact that the radical message of justice, peace, compassion, and humility has always had limited appeal, as southern white churches that supported integration found out when they began to lose members.
But being that kind of Christian may be far more influential than seems evident.
Think about the fact that the Christians we remember as examples to follow did what we are trying to do, working to help the poor, to undo injustice, to promote peace, to love others unconditionally.
So if as progressive Christians we keep on keeping on in spite of not being the kind of Christians who get in the news these days, we have reason to believe our influence will endure for generations to come just as the influence of those we remember has.
It is true that our churches are no longer the biggest, and at the moment the influence of Christianity is in decline because people don’t like the version of Christianity they read about and see in the news, but that is not what matters most to us.
What does is whether or not the influence we do have, big or small, is the kind for which we want to be remembered.
As it turns out, that will be the most lasting influence of all.
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