World Mag has an interesting article that questions the conventional wisdom that Christianity is on the decline. The Sixth Wind, referring to what could be possibly the next great revival in the country, points out that even tho: People identifying themselves as Christians in the last 18 years has fallen from 86 percent to 76 percent; Rabid Atheism is on the rise (a la Hitchens and Harris); Evangelical children are leaving the Church in droves after they leave the home; Etc etc etc...; perhaps the 'quality' of commitment is on the rise - and this is what contributes to true revival?
"What if the drop during the 1990s was largely among nominal "Christians" who now respond more honestly to pollsters than they once did?"
"What we see in the numbers is not a waning of Christianity, but a polarization. The number of people saying that God is central to their lives is going up. We're seeing the death of the Eisenhower era where everyone claimed to be a Christian or a Jew because that was just part of being respected, part of being a good American. Now, people who were lukewarm about religion are now more happy saying that they're atheists or agnostics, and people who claim they're serious about faith are serious about faith."
The vacuum created by a lack of Christians in the marketplace will be painfully obvious if we truly are in decline: "Christians are the people looking after the homeless, the drug-addicted," Wooldridge stated fiercely. "Where is the atheist homeless shelter?"
Some food for thought - and some ammo for others to consider in the dialogue about the relavance of Christianity in the Culture.
Also, some potential good books to study to the the details...
The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right Jon A. Shields
Reason, Faith, and Revolution Terry Eagleton
The Next Evangelicalism Soong-Chan Rah
A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church Warren Cole Smith
The Twilight of Atheism Alister McGrath
God Is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith Is Changing the World John Micklethwait
God on the Quad Naomi Schaefer Riley
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