White conservative Christians ignore their real problem: A fleeing flock

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

White evangelical Christians dominate the MAGA movement. Fear of civilizational decline, dire warnings of an existential crisis and howls that religion is under “attack” form the basis of much of the MAGA ideology. And the apocalyptic language deployed by the right wing bears a striking resemblance to Christian end-times imagery.

But while conservative Christians love to blame the left, a new Pew Research Center poll shows that their problem is not secular elites.

-snip-

These voices posit that White Christians are victims. But in fact, the church quite simply has failed to attract and retain believers. As Ron Brownstein explained last year in the Atlantic: “The claim that any Democratic victory will irrevocably reconfigure the nation taps into a deep fear among key components of the Republican coalition: that they will be eclipsed by the demographic and cultural changes that have made white people — especially white Christians — a steadily shrinking share of the population.”

Brownstein observed that this “vision of America will only diverge further from reality in a country where kids of color will soon represent a majority of the under-18 population, where a growing number of young people do not identify with any religious tradition, and where white Christians likely slip below 40 percent of the society.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/15/religious-decline-evangelicals-white-christians-poll/

[keithbvadu2]

1. The big money Christians are installing their own Deep State in school boards, Supreme Court, and so

The big money Christians are installing their own Deep State in school boards, Supreme Court, and so forth.

There may be fewer so-called Christians but holding power where it counts.

Political Christians rather than Christians of faith.

[scarletlib]

3. They can try. It will even work on some kids and parents.

However, the ultimate problem for them is an open world, an open access via internet. They can’t shut that entirely. Kids have eyes and ears. Friends who are not in that closed loop. You can’t stop progress . You can’t make others think like you.

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. Based on history I would say there have been some good attempts.

The question becomes just how many people have fallen into the Dunning Kruger hole thanks to the machinations of the right in regards to reality and information.

[scarletlib]

5. True. But, at this point, I think it would take a complete breakdown of society to implement.

They want a new Dark Age—ignorance, superstition, and fealty to your betters and Church Supreme. I wouldn’t last ten minutes before being burned at the stake as a witch.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. HAH! You and me both! (n/t)

[LT Barclay]

2. Insider view of why this is accelerating. I've seen this in a few churches...

The surveys show the departure and most say it is because of the Jonestown level adherence to the perverted gospel of the republican party, concluding that those leaving want the truth. So the pastor walks in Sunday morning says people want more "truth" and proceeds to double down on the RW propaganda with a rant about abortion or gay marriage.

[lees1975]

7. The actual percentage of white Christians who are committed to their churches is already below 40%

The denominations and churches were already seeing a plateau at the turn of the century, and it has started to drop off faster in recent years. The largest of the conservative, Evangelical denominations, the Southern Baptist Convention, has lost three million members since a peak in 2006 and more than half of that has occurred since 2015, they reported more than 400,000 decline in just one year between 2020 and 2021.

They are allowing pressure from political extremists to replace the content of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which they claim is the theological foundation of their churches. Some are finding their way into liberal, mainline Protestant churches, much to the chagrin of conservative leaders and some of those who are going are high profile. Some are forming new, smaller churches. Some are just quitting, tired of the politics and the infighting.