The Fascination and Frustration of American Religion

I’ve just finished reading American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert Putnam and David Campbell.  I predict this book will be widely quoted in religious circles for years to come.  It is probably the most important work on American religion since Harold Bloom’s The American Religion, published twenty years ago.  The authors collect and carefully analyze a raft of polling data about the habits, attitudes, and opinions of religious people in America, the intensity of their religiosity, and the relationship between religion and politics, civic life, and community. 

The scope of their work defies an easy summary.  Here, I’d like to address just one component of their research that I find both fascinating and frustrating.  Putnam and Campbell piece together a compelling narrative about the convergence of religion and politics in America since World War II.  They note that, during the American church heyday of the 1950’s, little correlation existed between religious affiliation and political ideology.  Liberals and conservatives worshiped together in the same churches, and both were also found in comparable numbers among the unchurched.  By the end of the twentieth century, however, religion had become one of the most polarizing factors in American politics.  Today, people who regularly attend church are most likely to vote Republican, while those who rarely or never attend church overwhelmingly vote Democratic.  What happened?

The authors trace evidence of a “cultural shock” and two “aftershocks.”  The initial shock was the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, when younger Americans widely rejected the Victorian morals defended in churches and left organized Christianity in droves.  The first aftershock came in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, when the liberal tendencies unleashed in the ‘60’s led to a cultural backlash and the rise of conservative evangelicalism.  The evangelical movement attracted young adults back into church to affirm traditional “family values.”  The second aftershock came in the 1990’s as Americans became increasingly uneasy about mixing politics with religion.  (The politicization of conservative Christianity, according to Putnam and Campbell, has mostly to do with the major parties taking opposing positions on two “moral” issues – abortion and gay rights.)  A generation of Americans “came of age when religion was identified with the Religious Right, and exactly at the time when the leaders of that movement put homosexuality and gay marriage at the top of their agenda, and yet this is the very generation in which the new tolerance of homosexuality had grown most rapidly” (p. 130).  As a result, most young adults since that time have “rejected religion entirely…because they think of religious people as hypocritical, judgmental…too focused on rules and not enough on spirituality” (pp. 130-131). The authors sum up the “second aftershock” this way: “A growing number of Americans, especially young people, have come to disavow religion.  For many, their aversion to religion is rooted in unease with the association between religion and conservative politics.  If religion equals Republican, then they have decided that religion is not for them” (p. 3). As a result, the influence of evangelicals in America peaked in the early ‘90’s, and since that time, the fastest growing religious group in America has been those who refuse to identify with any form of organized religion.

Reading this account reminded me of the writing of Philip Yancey, a long-time columnist for Christianity Today.  He is solidly planted in conservative evangelical soil but has also raised some hard questions in his own religious community – and has suffered harsh criticism as a result.  In the mid-1990s, he lamented how American Christianity, by that time closely identified with evangelicalism, exhibited too little grace.  Its often-militant approach to the issue of abortion and its condemnation of homosexuals had earned it the reputation of being mean, unforgiving, and intolerant, which, Yancey noted, seems out of touch with the example of Christ.  “As Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees, a concern for moral values alone is not nearly enough. Moralism apart from grace solves little” (What’s So Amazing About Grace? p. 230).  And again, “The church is becoming more and more politicized, and as society unravels I hear calls that we emphasize mercy less and morality more.  Stigmatize homosexuals, shame unwed mothers, persecute immigrants, harass the homeless, punish lawbreakers – I get the sense from some Christians that if we simply pass enough harsh laws in Washington, we can turn the country around” (p. 230).  Yancey expressed his concern that this stance would bring great harm to the Christian witness.

In the 1950s and 1960s, mainline denominations moved away from proclaiming the gospel toward a more political agenda, and the pews began to empty, cutting membership by half.  Many of these disaffected churchgoers sought out evangelical churches, where they heard messages more directed to their spiritual needs.  It would be ironic indeed if evangelical churches repeated the error and drove away members because of their overemphasis on politics of a conservative stripe (p. 231).

The polling data examined in American Grace proves that Yancey’s concerns were prescient. 

Of course, there are still lots of churches in America that cannot be tagged as politically partisan in any direction, because they are primarily focused on learning how to be faith communities, not defining the rules of Christian morality.  Most (though not all) of them belong to the “mainline” tradition that has suffered disastrous losses in membership and attendance over the last fifty years.  Putnam and Campbell note that those “moderate” churches between the polar extremes display many characteristics that would be appealing to the unchurched – most of whom still regard themselves as “spiritual,” if not “religious.” (In fact, Putnam and Campbell continue to use the tag of “mainline” to describe them because, even though they have become a much smaller slice of church-going Americans, they still represent – according to the polling data – mainstream American religious views.) Unfortunately, however,

it is very hard…for a religious “brand” forged in the fires of the Reformation four centuries ago to “rebrand” itself overnight.  Moreover, this youthful generation seems unwilling or unable to distinguish the stance of the most visible, most political, and most conservative religious leaders from organized religion in general” (American Grace, p. 131).

Sixteen years ago, I left a conservative evangelical denomination and joined a mainline denomination for many of the same reasons that millions of Americans have eschewed all religious affiliation.  I was tired of the exclusivity, the intolerance, and the increasing identification with a political ideology.  It wasn’t easy, but I am glad I walked away from that frustration. 

Now, I live with a different frustration.  Growing unease with right-wing Christianity has not resulted in an embrace of more moderate churches, but instead, a sharp rise in the number of people who disavow church in all its forms.  I know first-hand that not all Christian communities are defined by what we oppose or refuse to tolerate.  A lot of us would rather err on the side of grace than of judgment.  We wrestle with how to be faithful to the Scriptures and our traditions while responding to the fresh winds of the Holy Spirit.  I also know that this kind of faith community has appeal for people of all ages.  My congregation is not setting the world on fire, but we continue to gain more members than we lose, and the percentage of young adults in our congregation roughly mirrors the general population.  Compared to other mainline churches, we’re doing quite well.  Yet, we labor in the shadow of nearby mega-churches and large Catholic parishes that have successfully co-opted many characteristics of American Protestantism.  It is difficult in this environment for churches like ours to get much public notice. 

On the other hand, we are not simply helpless victims of circumstances beyond our control.  Efforts at “rebranding” among mainline Protestants have been spotty and only marginally successful. This is often because churches in the more traditional Protestant denominations have never successfully made the transition to a post-denominational culture, and are stuck in the now mythical world of 1950’s Protestant America.  Let’s be honest.  To a large degree, mainline congregations have demonstrated little competence or even interest in developing creative outreach strategies.  It is hard to avoid the sad conclusion that the unchurched people our congregations are best positioned to reach can’t find us because we have failed to make ourselves known.

Still, it seems to me that community-oriented churches that are theologically open and focused on nurturing faith practices are being called to heal the wounds of religious and political polarization.  Our mission for the 21^st century is unmistakable.  Are we courageous enough to claim it? 

Copyright 2011 by J. Mark Lawson

 

Comments

[Hrishabh]

RELIGION FREE ). Religion is human efforts to win God's favor, and true chanitiristy will teach you that there is nothing you can do to do that. Religion is bad, I agree with you. But the Bible does not teach religion, it teaches about a personal relationship with your Creator.Last: Great sites!!! I will definitely visit this post a lot looking for inspiration. Design in general in the christian medium has grown a lot during the past few years, and these sites clearly show that.Thanks!

[J. Mark Lawson]

Madeline,

Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I'm truly grateful that you have found a church where you feel at home; where you don't have to hold your breath wondering if you're going to hear something that makes you angry. You've stated about as succinctly as possible why it is that American Christianity has lost your generation (with a few important exceptions, of course!). On the one hand, the surging tide of conservative evangelicalism is offensive to your pluralistic sensibilities. On the other hand, more liberal churches, as you say it, often have little "Spirit," and have allowed themselves to drift into cultural irrelevance. You don't mind being challenged, but don't want to be offended when you worship. You don't expect to be entertained, but you don't want to be bored. Seems like a reasonable expectation. - JML

[Madeline]

This post strikes a chord with me, as a Christian (self-identified only within the past few years) and as product of the second after-shock that Putnam and Campbell describe. I grew up with the impression that American Christianity was repressive, discriminatory, and just another arm of a conservative, Right-wing machine; in the meantime I was baptized and confirmed in a church without any visible Spirit. But mine is also a generation that desperately needs the kind of Christianity the UCC represents, the kind I am so lucky to have found. We're coming of age in a time when doing everything we've told will guarantee success doesn't, when we're overwhelmed with mixed messages about how best to live, and there's so little emphasis on spiritual fulfillment and the difference that can make. It's essential, both for the health of mainline Christianity in the United States and for young people who are looking for peace and solace, that what it means to be a church-going Christian be re-framed so that it isn't identified as any political group.

[Barb Wiggins]

Mark,
I can relate to some of the conclusions the author reaches, yet I never connected those conclusions with politics. My children in the 1960's struggled with disallusion with my beliefs, and living a Cnristian life. I suspect they would apploud the author. Your article challnges me to explore my understandings, and you know how challanging that is for me. Barb

[J. Mark Lawson]

Becky and Gary,

Thanks for your comments. I don't know what church is going to look like in the next hundred years. (Who would have predicted it would look like it does now?) And it's easy to get discouraged with the "institutional" issues, which must be addressed, but they don't make up the whole picture. In fact, today's post, "An Epiphany," tells of a moment when I believe God called me back from the despair of these huge societal questions to my first love. Take a look.

[Becky West]

Fright. It's fright that the members of our congregation express - both overtly and subtly - when they are confronted with or even just stumble upon the idea that we might need to update our beliefs, processes, liturgies, customs, and our expression of God's presence, if we are to become relevant to people who are not like us. We have forward-thinkers in our midst who want to reach out differently but who have been burned by the people who don't want change. It has not been an easy transition. I think we need to nurture the risk-takers (myself included) while at the same time care for and yet challenge those of God's people who fear change. It can't be done too fast, and it can't be done fast enough.

We do have a way to help people. We have to figure out how to break through the barriers that have driven young people away from churches "as they understand them to be." How can we begin to do this better?

[Gary Ferner]

Mark, as you know, I tend toward the optimistic when it comes to most things in life. I'm less optimistic about the future of the mainline Protestant church as we know it. The churches I have served spent 95% or more of their resources keeping their heads above water, meeting their own needs...it was a struggle getting them to see how outreach and mission were all part of the same ministry. With aging buildings and aging members, the 21st century challenge you mention above may just be a little more than most can handle. Our future may be in some new form (transformed?) that emerges from the churches that are left standing a decade from now. There will need to be a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit in and around our churches if we can ever hope and pray for a new form of 'doing' church. In the meantime, we continue to see our sister churches dwindle and struggle. Thanks for a really good blog! gary