Sam Gould - Being Christian in the Twenty-First Century

Happy is the person who meditates on wisdom and reasons intelligently, who reflects in his heart on her ways and ponders her secrets.

Sir 14:2021

C hristianity is ubiquitous in the United States and in other pockets of the world. It comes in many sizes, flavors, packages, and intensities. This is not the case in much of Europe where Cathedrals built for the masses remain largely vacant during Sunday services. In the United States many people are brought up in a faith culture and remain in it throughout their lives. But others find the religion of their childhood no longer suitable or compatible with their life experiences and fundamental world view. And so, people are leaving the church at a rapid pace. Are we as a nation following Europes lead and turning away from our Christian roots?

In May of 2015 the Pew Foundation released a report chronicling the decline in Christian affiliation in the United States. The report indicates that between 2007 and 2014 the Christian share of the population declined from . percent to . percent. Further, those who identify as unaffiliated, have grown from . percent to . percent of the populationan increase of nearly percent in just seven years. Even many of the expanding nondenominational evangelical congregations are failing to keep pace with population growth. In absolute numbers Mainline Protestant and Catholic denominations have declined . percent and . percent, respectively, over this reporting period. Faced with these daunting statistics one must ask, Is there something wrong with the church?

Perhaps one should ask if church affiliation is destined to be a relic of the past. Perhaps the church has served a purpose, but outlived its usefulness. Over the centuries the church has attended to the needs of the poor, the sick, and the uneducated. They have provided relief for orphans and widows. They have built hospitals, schools, and universities. But many of these functions have been taken over by local, state, and federal governments. Many of the fine colleges and universities with religious origins have since separated themselves from their founding bodies. With secular governing bodies now fulfilling many of these societal roles what is the churchs role? Is it to focus on personal salvation while perpetuating the existing culture? Is it to give us space, perhaps an hour each week, to enter into a simpler time? Is it to entertain and make us feel good? If these are the case then perhaps the church has outlived its usefulness.

Many Christians uncritically accept church teaching and do not try to reconcile them with their experience outside of their religious life. That works just fine for many people. Yet, for many others their fundamental religious beliefs must coincide with how they understand the world works. For those people, among whom I count myself, there must be both head and heart. For these people, faith is most robust when the thought process behind it is sound and credible. Yet for many, ancient church dogma, doctrine, and creeds leave them incredulous. Perhaps it is the time for reform and renewal in the church. I personally believe that the church has an important ethical, empowering, and healing role to play in the twenty-first century. But, in order to do so it needs to focus on the character of its message. That means it must be intellectually satisfying as well as a place of comfort, fellowship, and service, a place where empathy and compassion are acted out consistent with the teachings of Jesus.