I Blame It On Oprah
September 29th, 2009 by Peter
Give The Courant some credit. When it comes to reporting on religion, their rolodex has finally expanded beyond the usual left-of-center voices:
Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut and a Catholic, said that perhaps the question isn’t why women are more religious, but rather why men are less likely to identify with religion, especially mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. The Trinity report found that 24 percent of the Nones are former Catholics.
Wolfgang has a theory. “Men like a challenge,” he said. “They like to be told they have to meet a certain standard.” He cited what he views as watered-down, feel-good Sunday sermons that would be right at home on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as an example of what turns men away.
That quote comes from a front page story today about a Trinity study’s findings of an increase in religious non-affiliation. You can read the whole article here. I would be curious to hear from FIC members on what they think may be causing the decline in religious affiliation.
A lot of the decline in church membership within certain denominations should be attributed to the abandonment of Biblical teachings, by the revisionist teachings of liberal theology that considers the judgment of man as co-equal with the Word of God. For some churches, there has been an outright rebellion against the “true and ancient faith” by interlopers within the ranks of the clergy who are really acting out of the secular humanist playbook instead of following scripture. Many people, upon seeing this fraud and deception, are choosing to leave those denominations to find other more faithful churches instead.
It isn’t the attendance figures alone, however, that should concern us. After all, it is up to God to decide who He chooses and calls to respond through the leading of the Spirit. And you could be counting yourself among church-goers without really having a change of heart that represents being called of God. What I am more concerned about is whether we who are chosen are remaining faithful and true to His will, or whether some of us are being led astray. We were warned of times like this.
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4: 3-5)
Ancient Israel did not receive all the blessings that God could have poured out upon them, because they strayed from His commands. We should learn from this. We are called to trust and obey and to do what is right, not because the world agrees, but simply because God commands. Who are we trying to please … the world, or God Himself? I would rather belong to a church that is small in numbers, but truly faithful, than to one that seeks to expand its numbers by “dumbing down”, diluting, or perverting the Gospel message simply for the sake of becoming more appealing to the world.
In my experience, the decline of religious affiliation may be influenced by the relevance of church teaching and actions to one’s daily life. I’d like to discuss two areas in which church’s, at times, may lose relevance to people’s lives.
First, is the foray into politics. This often has the unintended consequence of alientating members. This is particularly true in the Catholic Church where the church leadership often takes active stands on political and social issues (abortion, gay rights, stem cells) that often do not resonate with laypersons. In many polls, these issues are in fact unimportant to average Catholics or average Catholics actually feel the opposite of the Church.
Second, is the focus on larger and more global actions and issues. Many may feel unconnected to raising money for a church in Uganda when many of our fellow CT citizens suffer. I find this particularly true in my own church. Sermons regarding abstract ills or distant plights make parishioners feel too distant and unconnected from the church and, accordingly, more likely to drift away.
In short, churches which are losing members should get back to basics and challenge people to act, not merely send money half a world away.
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