Beware! Progressive ideology will wreck your faith.
Beware! Christian nationalism will destroy your faith!
Beware! Suffering will gut your faith.
Beware! Hypocritical Christians will undermine your faith.
What is the greatest threat to our faith? There is truth in the danger of all of the above. Jim Davis and Michael Graham commissioned the largest and most comprehensive study of dechurching in America” by leading sociologists Ryan Burge and Paul Djupe. They report their findings in The Great DeChurching. Over the past twenty-five years, forty million Americans have stopped going to church? What were the reasons they stopped attending? All of those cited above were mentioned as reasons. But three quarters of those surveyed shared the same single reason: life changed.
That’s it. Life changed. Most stopped going to church not because the preaching was bad or the pastor had a moral failing. Most opted out of being part of a local congregation not because their beliefs shifted or their faith couldn’t withstand a traumatic event. Most pared church out of their lives because they moved, got married, or had children.
The most dangerous moment of your faith will probably not be Religion 101 at your public university, it will be leaving home and going to that university. Your connection to the people of God will likely not be who fills your podcast playlist, but the promotion.
This, of course, isn’t to diminish the other challenges to our faith. We ought to beware of the ideological threats to our faith. Surprisingly, secular ideology from the right appears to be more dangerous than from the left as the secular right has dechurched at twice the rate as the secular left.
We ought to be on guard that our faith expects suffering and doesn’t buy into the lies of the health and wealth gospel. We ought to beware of putting our ultimate trust in human beings and not Jesus Christ.
But don’t underestimate the danger of the mundane. Our flesh is repelled by church. It requires too much of us—too much time, too much relationally, too much money. Can’t we just watch our favorite pastor on YouTube? Read the Bible on our own? Have a Christian friend over for dinner?
The church was God’s idea and is his Bride (Rev. 21:2). You were given spiritual gifts to serve God’s people (1 Cor. 12:18-20). The unity of the family of God is our greatest witness to the world (Jn 17:22-23). You need the church and the church needs you.
To separate oneself from the church is selfish and dangerous. Beware of the most dangerous moment for your faith.
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