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The decline of regular church attendance over the past two to three decades has spurred several recent surveys of American Christianity which pay special attention to why Christians leave the Church. Many Christians are understandably concerned by the exodus of people from the pews, particularly young people. Hence, there have been recent campaigns to make the church "relevant." The Emergent Church is an outstanding example of this.
First, let me say that I am an outstanding supporter of theological contextualization. There is a definite need for the Church to constantly contextualize itself in whatever cultural situation(s) it finds itself in and to make use of the "gold of the Egyptians" - a la Origen and St. Augustine. The reactionary and fundamentalist attitude that orthodox American Christianity has had over the last century is lamentable. I by no means desire a Christianity that is hostile to outsiders and adopts Bob Jones University's attitude toward to culture. The Church has been too cold, too political, and too legalistic and a prudent movement away from these things is most welcome.
Yet at the same time a word of caution is in order. Though many Christians are understandably upset by Christianity's bizarre and at times un-Christlike sub-culture, they can often be far too naïve self-depreciating. First, it must be recognized that there is more to the numbers than what meets the eye. The fact that people are leaving the Church doesn't imply the Church in America is declining. For most of America's history regular church attendance was considered to be a sign of upstanding citizenship and morality. Hence, many people attended church for formal or social reasons rather than from true piety. Similarly, many Catholics have historically attended Mass (during Christmas and Easter at least!) and engaged the rituals of the Catholic Church because it is part of their ethnic heritage. So as social approval for regular church attendance wanes and the importance of ethnic identity for Irish, Poles, and Italians lessens, it is likely that those who were once regular attendees for reasons other than true piety will cease to be so. To a great extent our society is polarizing over religion and the middle ground of vague, ethnic or formal Christianity is disappearing.
Secondly, it is naïve to take many of the reasons people give for leaving the church at face value. I know many people who claim to have left the church because Christians are "hypocritical" or "uncaring", when in reality they left the church because they disliked the strong claims Christianity made on their individualism. My generation's distaste for anything that gets in the way of our claim to individual autonomy is, I suspect, one of the reasons why so many twenty-somethings stop attending church regularly. For instance, a sermon that faithfully and pastorally preaches the Christian sexual ethic can easily evoke cries of "moralism" or "hypocrisy," despite the fact the pastor preached in a loving and Christ-like manner. Often it is simply the case that essential tenets or values of Christianity are at variance with the worldly values of a erstwhile church-goers. People say that Christianity is too homophobic, sexist, prudish, or authoritarian, when what they really mean is that they dislike the church's unalterable teaching on homosexuality, gender roles, chastity, and obedience in contrast to individual autonomy. These are Christian teachings and we cannot change them. We cannot reject the commands of Christ and adopt the ethos of the world without damaging the integrity of our faith.
Moreover, it is naïve to think that if the church simply became more "seeker friendly" and more flexible that unbelievers would be pouring in. We must remember that there is a sharp distinction to be drawn between a sincere seeker of spiritual experiences and a sincere seeker of the Triune God. In a secular society, we often forget that a mere desire for the spiritual does not equal a desire to be formed by God's will. People will charge the church with hypocrisy or moralism or exclusivity simply because they cannot and will not surrender themselves to God. If you pander to these people, you will find yourself adapting Christianity until there is little true Christianity left. The problem that such people have with Christianity is simply that it is Christianity. We must understand that the there is always the offense of the cross. It is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block for the Jews. So while it is wise to take a healthy dose of criticism in order to grow in sanctification, we must avoid self-flagellation over those who won't accept Christianity no matter how appetizing we make it.
