Declining attendance needs thought

James 2:18-20 (NLT)
18  Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. [f]  Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  20  How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

I have been thinking recently about the decline in church worship attendance which we have
seen across denominations. This is of course, a phenomenon that has been advancing over the last few decades. So I started to reflect upon what I view as the three main causes.

First of all, is what many folks view as the conflict between faith and science. When churches espouse the “inerrancy” of scripture, people of intellect begin to ask questions about scripture. For example, when they see the genealogy of Jesus which traces his lineage back to Adam (who is described as the first human which God created) and then scriptural literalists use this as their basis for believing the earth is only 6000 years old, people who value science may begin to think there is no place for them in the faith community. Or they think they would need to check their brain at the door before entering.

Secondly, when churches proclaim the doctrine of “infallibility,” this also causes problems for many people. If the bible is supposed to be the “word of God” which perfectly describes the nature of God, then many people don’t want any part of the God they may have read about in the Old Testament.

In many places, that God appears to be an arbitrary, vindictive, capricious, bloodthirsty monster. They may see a total disconnect between that God and the person of Jesus they read about in the New Testament. But when churches claim that both Testaments are equally valuable and equally inspired by God, that’s when many people check out.

Thirdly and I believe most importantly, people are often turned away from the Christian faith by the hypocrisy they see in people who claim to be Christians. For example, when people see Christians who demonize immigrants and people of other religions, and foster racism, and denigrate others based on their sexual orientation, people outside the church are appalled. And when, for example, they see supposed Christian leaders say and do things that are contrary to the nature of Jesus, their “bad deeds” show an inauthenticity to the faith these type of Christians proclaim.

So…… if you don’t believe the earth is only 6000 years old and that Adam was the first human, neither do I. And if you don’t believe that the bible is “inerrant and infallible,” neither do I.

And if you are tired of the hypocritical type of Christianity that seeks to divide and condemn, so am I.

Just know that Jesus is not defined by how some Christians act or what they believe. If you are interested in a faith that fosters love, inclusion, and intellectual honesty; then there is still a place for you!