Are you tired of hearing about the Pew Research Center’s demographic study outlining the decline of Christianity in America? It was earth-shattering news for the few people who read it, but energized others who were tired of traditional mainline Protestantism. The panic that it produced was interesting to read, hear and watch. The research only confirmed what we religious types already knew — there are fewer people in our pews.
The “nones” do not come and really never have. The “dones” do not come because they are pretty tired of whatever it is that they are tired of. Opinion pieces not unlike this column have poured serious time and energy into culturally diagnosing the perceived problem from a religious perspective. “We need to (fill in the blank).” Responses to this study have been a cornucopia of “You’re Doing It All Wrong” YouTube videos about church. The Pew Research Center probably didn’t realize that it was creating even more fuel for the fire of apocalypticism in popular culture. Maybe that’s what it is! The Zombie Apocalypse is really hurting church attendance.
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