Keeping the Faith in a Post-Christian World
Faith in a post-christian world, #1
For several years, I've followed the work of Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University. Burge specializes in statistical analysis on the decline in religious affiliation in the United States. He writes a regular Substack newsletter titled "Graphs about Religion," and I look forward to every new post. In 2021, Burge published a widely read book titled, The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. Although his work is highly respected and well known, I learned something new about him just a few days ago.
Namely, Burge has been a bi-vocational pastor for nearly two decades, leading a small American Baptist church in Mount Vernon, Illinois. He began this work right out of college and continued through his doctoral work and into his career in academia. His church has been in a slow decline for as long as Burge has been there - nearly 20 years. According to his own recollection, all his in-depth studies of religious decline were partially motivated by a need to explain his own inability to turn this dying church around and save it. He finds it terribly ironic that people now seek out his advice on ways to stem the tide of religious decline, since he has no experience or expertise in church revitalization. He has ample experience in church decline and closure.
Burge's church held its final service on July 21st, 2024, just over one week ago. The closing inspired Burge to describe his experience in an essay published in the DesertNews titled, "My church is closing and I don't know what comes next - for me, or America." You can read his story by clicking here.
I won't summarize the essay, but I will say that Burge recounts a slow decline that is all too common in 21st century America. There is an emotional toll that accompanies church decline and closing, and Burge is very transparent about his own struggles. This is his own final recollection on the last service held at First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon, Ill:
I walked out those doors into the blinding heat of a summer day in southern Illinois and stepped into a future where I don't know where I will go to church next Sunday, or even if I want to go. Frankly, I don't know if my own faith will survive, and I'm not sure if the church in America will be there for the next generation like it was for me.
And I'm terrified because for the first time in my spiritual life, I don't know what's next.
Stories like this are all too common and will likely become more common in the years ahead, so I certainly understand Burge's discouragement. I hope Burge (and his family) will soon find a healthy Christian community where his hope can be restored and his faith rekindled.
Unlike Burge, I write from the vantage point of a priest and seminary leader serving the Anglican Church in North America. Our Anglican province is among the very few Christian denominations in America not experiencing decline. On the contrary, the Anglican Church in North America is in a time of modest but steady growth and now exceeds pre-covid numbers in terms of Sunday attendance. You can read a report on that recent growth here. No doubt, the ACNA faces many challenges, and this recent, modest growth is a gift, which should not be taken for granted.
Still, I remain hopeful because, with all the saints, I believe that Christ's church has a glorious future (Rev. 19:1-10) and is well deserving of my lifelong commitment. I believe that others should be likewise committed, so I'll keep commending the way of Christ and making the case that the Anglican Church in North America offers a true and legitimate way to be a member of His church.
In what follows, I'll share a few thoughts and some advice from Paul to Timothy, about what it means to remain faithful in challenging times.
The Challenge of Christian Faith in a Post-Christian World
Let's first be honest about the situation we are all in. It has always been hard to follow Christ, but it's been much harder in some places and ages than in others. As Jesus himself warned in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world." It is easy to see the tribulation Jesus warned of by pointing out times of persecution. For example, many people do not know that Christianity flourished in North Africa in its earliest centuries, but it did. Many of our most important early Christian theologians and leaders were African -- including St. Augustine, St. Athanasius, St. Cyprian, St. Clement, St. Perpetua, St. Felicity, and on and on. If you google early North African Christian leaders, you will find a list with the names of literally hundreds of African saints from the earliest centuries of church history.
North Africa was known as the cradle of orthodoxy -- it's where many of the most important doctrines of our faith were first articulated with great care. Some of you have read books written by early African Christians, such as the Confessionsof St. Augustine or On The Incarnation by St. Athanasius. Everyone who has ever picked up a bible and flipped through its pages is indebted to African Christianity, and you may not know this. It was the Egyptian bishop, Athanasius, who first drew up the list of 27 books that would become our New Testament. And the great African bishop, Augustine of Hippo, influenced the early African councils where that list of 27 books was declared a canon -- an authoritative list. Our biblical canon has African origins.
But even with all of this Christian vitality, the faith in North Africa declined and all but disappeared. With the rise and expansion of Islam, Christian North Africa was decimated, and it has been very difficult to be a Christian in that part of the world ever since.
Similar stories can be told for other parts of the world during other times in history -- Russia in the 20th century, Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, Egypt and the entire Middle East today. Remaining faithful is often hard, especially in places and at times of persecution. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived and died under Nazi persecution, wrote, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." This is true for all of us figuratively; it's been a historical reality for many Christians throughout history. But still the church advances through the ages.
We are not in a time of persecution that compares to any of the examples I've mentioned. Our struggle won't be like North Africa, Russia, or Japan -- at least we are nowhere near that point yet. However, we are clearly at the beginning of a time in this country when following Christ is becoming more difficult. I don't mean to sound alarmist or suggest that our nation is getting worse for everyone. America is in some ways a better place to live for some people than it was fifty years ago. However, it is clear that members of the younger generation are more likely to give up on the faith - or never encounter it - than their parents' or grandparents' generations. We will almost certainly live out the rest of our lives in a culture that is post-Christian, and this will make it hard for us to be faithful.
According to Ryan Burge and other groups like the Pew Research Center, from the early 1970s through 1990, the percentage of Americans of all age groups who identified with no religion at all remained fairly steady between 3 and 7%. So the vast majority of Americans not only considered themselves religious - they were genuinely affiliated with churches and denominations.
In the 1990s, the number of non-religious people -- often called "nones" began to grow rapidly and today constitutes approximately 36% of the total population in America. The statistics are especially troubling when we compare religious affiliation by generation:
The Silent Generation
83% religious affiliation
17% Nones
Baby Boomers
74% religious affiliation
26% Nones
Gen X
65% religious affiliation
35% Nones
Millennials
56% religious affiliation
44% nones
Gen Z:
51.5% religious affiliation
48.5% nones
As you can see, Generation Z are the most unchurched generation in America in recorded history. Scholars predict that more than 50% of Gen Z will identify as nones within a year or two from now, as they graduate from college and move into adulthood. It is especially noteworthy that generational replacement -- as Millennials and Gen Z replace older generations -- will continue to have significant, negative ramifications for Western culture. We are heading into the Wild West, and it's hard to see how it might be tamed with the church in rapid decline.
What this means for each of us is that we must follow Christ without the support of a Christian culture. And that is a greater challenge than we may realize. We can't expect political parties to represent and reinforce our faith. Please don't hope for that -- you will be disappointed. We can't expect our faith to find reinforcement from Hollywood, from big news, reality TV, mainstream educational institutions, corporate sponsors, and very often not from our extended friend group. Some of us will not find support from family members, and we all know that our social media addictions do not make being a Christian any easier.
In 1980, the social scientist Peter Berger observed that religious belief and practice is either strengthened or undermined by social structures. He called these "plausibility structures" because religious practice is simply more plausible when a majority of the population is religious. Others have suggested that when faith is "reinforced in our family, in church, in school, at work, on TV, in the newspapers, by scientists, in politics, and so on, we will find it very plausible. However, to the degree that beliefs lack such reinforcement they lose credibility and become increasingly uncertain."
So when the religious majority declines, Christian faith becomes much more difficult for those in the minority to maintain. It is like swimming upstream, and many of us already feel the current flowing against us -- making it hard to stay above water. We sometimes call this "peer pressure," and its strength is very real. Yet, our charge is clear..."do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom. 12:2).
Advice for Timothy and the Rest of Us
But we should also recognize that we are not the first to encounter this pressure. Christians can and do flourish even in times of decline and difficulty. In England today, though far fewer citizens are Christian than in the past, those who remain Christian are often more devout than their ancestors.
You see - those who are called by Christ will know that they need other Christians. They seek each other out... they create communities and cultures that help make a life of faith plausible. Though fewer in number, Christians in secular cultures find each other and offer support. Like immigrants moving into a foreign country, they create churches, schools, and parachurch organizations, commit to them and enable them to thrive. If we are faithful, then this is very likely our future, so we shouldn't lose heart.
Christianity will experience numerical decline, but those committed to a robust, classical orthodox faith will seek each other out and thrive.
This is why St. Paul is so confident when he writes 2nd Timothy, to his young apprentice. Paul knows the true nature of things -- he knows that we've all been made in God's image.... that we are restless and unsettled until we find God together. A culture where the church is in decline is necessarily a culture where suffering and confusion grow. And an increase in suffering and confusion means more restlessness and searching for the stability and security found in Jesus Christ. Though Paul is writing at the end of his life when his ministry looks a lot like a failure, he knows the Christian faith will survive because it is true, and because our God is true and truly sovereign.
So what is a Christian to do when faith is hard and Christians are few in number? Paul gives Timothy three main points of advice in 2nd Timothy 1:3-14. Paul's advice to Timothy applies well to our current situation.
Fan into Flame the Gift of God (2 Timothy 1:6)
Though we might think Paul wants Timothy to get "on fire" for the gospel, so to speak, that would be a misunderstanding. There is nothing wrong with enthusiasm, but Paul doesn't want an apprentice who is all passion and no self-control. He doesn't need a cheerleader, because that is not how the gift of the spirit -- the gift of faith - works. Instead, Paul says that Timothy's gift, the one that he needs to "fan into flame" is characterized by power and love and finally - self-control. According to Paul, God's gifts are most effective when our passion and love are measured by self-control and determination. When we allow God to build us up and strengthen our character, then our faith is strengthened.
This echoes the words of Peter in his second epistle: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
There is widespread misunderstanding among Christians about the nature of faith. We often think of faith as something like the Force in Star Wars and we imagine the Spirit as a supernatural power that helps us make use of this force. But the Spirit is not an impersonal power, faith is not a Force, and we don't have to be Jedi Knights to follow Christ. The Greek word for faith is Pistis and it means something like "trust that comes from familiarity." For example, we have faith in a friend who has proven herself trustworthy. That's what faith in Christ looks like.
Listen to this explanation from Anglican biblical theologian, Graeme Goldsworthy. He says:
"Biblical faith can be illustrated by considering the faith we would need when about to drive a vehicle across a rickety-looking bridge. We would not ask, 'Have I got enough faith?' Rather the appropriate question is, 'Can this bridge take the load?' Once we can answer in the affirmative, the question about faith vanishes. Faith is just there because of what we perceive about its object. When faith is lacking the antidote is not introspective self-examination but contemplation of the object of our faith: Jesus the Lord, our sufficient Saviour."
Here is the takeaway -- if you want to keep your faith in this age when the plausibility structures won't always be there to help -- don't try to be like Luke Skywalker. Don't try to conjure something from within. Don't stress about whether you have enough faith -- that is missing the point and mistaking the nature of faith itself. If you want to keep your faith, get to know Jesus Christ, the only bridge or mediator between God and Man. Study God's Word, and just as importantly, go to church. You will find Jesus Christ where two or more are gathered together, so seek out other Christians where you can find plausibility structures -- social practices and a material culture that nourishes and sustains faith. If you want to keep your faith, then you need to plant yourselves and those you love in the midst of communities whose lives together are centered around the Word of God.
Incidentally, I am convinced that the catholicity of Anglicanism is among its great strengths. Our Anglican churches are not islands, facing a declining culture on their own and struggling for survival as if all is lost if they do not make it. The church is catholic, which means it is whole or "all-inclusive." Historically, the church's origin was Pentecost, and its end will be a great consummation at the wedding feast of the lamb. The church is inclusive of all Christians in all historical time periods. Geographically, the church is spread out over the whole of the earth, and every individual congregation is part of this greater whole. Intrinsically, the church's catholicity, like sanctity, is derived from her ultimate union with Jesus Christ, as the apostle Paul explains in the passage below:
"And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22--23, ESV)
The more we can do to help our members understand their own Christian lives as being intertwined with Jesus Christ and brothers and sisters through the ages and across continents, the better. Faith in Jesus Christ becomes much more plausible when we understand, intellectually and experientially, all that it means to have membership in his body. We are not in this alone, and the church's ultimate triumph is not a burden we must bear. Christ bears this burden, and His church is catholic.
Do not be Ashamed
Paul says, "Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord...[but] follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me." Again, this is a simple command, but it is difficult to obey. Paul preached a difficult gospel. He preached Christ crucified and resurrected. In 2nd Timothy 2:8 he writes: "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David -- that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship." Paul taught that this same Jesus who was crucified and raised from the dead now sits at the right hand of God and from there exercises his sovereignty over all of heaven and earth. This was madness to the gentiles, and it sounds like madness today.
But this is what Paul preached, and we dare not be ashamed because this unconventional message turns the whole world upside down. In a world that has been broken and crazy since the fall from grace, the gospel has always been sanity and salvation no matter how unconventional the message may be. And hearing this message, just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus -- people from every age and culture will find their hearts burning within them. The message is true, so people from every age will believe and respond. This should give us hope and confidence.
But the temptation among Christians to be ashamed of the gospel is just as strong now as it was in Timothy's day. We face the ever present temptation of putting Jesus in a box and defining His nature and mission too narrowly. We are tempted to turn Jesus into "nothing more than" our personal savior or nothing more than the inspiration for our social justice campaign. It's much easier if we forget to mention that Jesus is sovereign Lord over all and that his reign extends to the ends of the earth: into our hearts, into our pocket books, into our bedrooms, into every corporate board room, and into every office of government the world over. Many will resist this message, but you need to remember its power. The message is true, and it is good news, so be sure you really know it. Be bridge inspectors and don't be ashamed when Christian teaching seems difficult. It always has been difficult.
For example, Christians believe that God created humankind to be at peace and to live forever in paradise -- in resurrected bodies in the context of a new heaven and a new earth. That's mind-blowing, really. Christians also believe that God, the creator of the universe, took on the form of human flesh and dwelt in the womb of a young virgin before entering this world as a helpless infant. Now what kind of God could or would do such a thing? We Christians believe that the poor and the peacemakers are "blessed" and that the meek, not the mighty, will one day inherit the earth. If only more of us really put that belief into practice, what a difference it would make.
Stranger still, the Christian gospel tells us that the redemptive power of God over all the forces of evil was made visible as God's own beloved son was crucified and died on a Cross. The Power and victory of God are manifest through God's own sacrifice and death.
And now, Christians claim, this crucified Christ governs our world, and even when evil seems to have the upper hand, we too exercise a kind of Royal power when we serve and suffer on behalf of our savior. These are among the sound teachings that Paul implores Timothy to hold to and proclaim with clarity and confidence.
Yet, Paul instructs Timothy not to be confrontational -- and some of us find this message hard to obey, let me assure you. Be kind to everyone, he says. Debate your opponents in a gentle manner and always with a patient spirit. In other words, the character of the Christian is just as important as the message spoken. And to complicate things further, when our fellow Christians fail to live up to this standard and admit as much -- we forgive them and extend a hand of peace. Don't be quick to judge your fellow Christians. The Church, it is often said, "is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for Saints." Or, as an anonymous 12th century monk once explained, "the church is like an ark, the only thing worse than the stench on the inside is the storm raging outside." Let's not be so consumed by the stench on the inside that we cause people to drown in the storm raging outside.
The Christian way is not easy -- it's difficult, unconventional, and at the same time more compelling than any other path I've encountered. It is worth betting your life on, I do believe.
Guard the Good Treasure
This is Paul's final point in his opening remarks to Timothy. I can remember when I was an undergraduate college student in the late 1980s. At some point during my freshman year, I had the good fortune of taking a course in the department of religion. And I can distinctly remember coming to the realization that my understanding of the Christian faith and especially the nature of salvation had been far too narrow. During that semester, I came to understand, for the first time, that the Christian gospel is actually revolutionary and interesting enough to spend a lifetime studying. It brings absolutely everything in this world into a new light, and I had never realized this before college. I had somehow sleepwalked my way through life not paying attention, but it began to soak in as I began to study more carefully.
In those years, I began to see the coherence and synthetic nature of Christian faith. The idea that there is a "deposit" to be guarded and passed along from generation to generation. Jude 1:3 calls it the "faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." In Latin, we call this the "fides quae..." which is the something that we have faith in. We don't have a vague faith; rather, we receive the one true faith given to the apostles and passed down through the ages. It's a faith summarized in the creeds and catechisms and provides an orthodox lens through which we read and interpret the Bible. This is the "consensus faith" that C.S. Lewis calls "mere Christianity," and I only began to recognize it when I began reading scripture and Christian classics in earnest.
So as we embark on a journey in a world that will very likely become less Christian with each passing year, we must guard this good deposit. As Thomas Cranmer taught us, we should continually pray:
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
We have to care for it, cultivate it, and share it. The best way to do this, of course, is to plant it in others. Every time we do, we'll expand the plausibility structures so important for our own faith and the faith of others.
This guarding isn't about isolating ourselves or our faith from the world. Rather, it's about nurturing and strengthening our faith so that it can withstand the challenges of our increasingly secular society. As the Apostle Peter advises in 1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
Conclusion
As we navigate the complexities of faith in an increasingly secular world, the wisdom of Paul's advice to Timothy resonates more profoundly than ever. The challenges we face today – declining religious affiliation, eroding plausibility structures, and the temptation to dilute our beliefs – are not insurmountable obstacles but opportunities to deepen and strengthen our faith.
By fanning into flame the gift of God within us, we cultivate a faith that is not merely emotional fervor but is characterized by power, love, and self-control. This balanced approach to faith enables us to stand firm in a world that often views Christian beliefs as unconventional or even foolish.
In boldly proclaiming our faith without shame, we follow in the footsteps of Paul and countless others who have held fast to the gospel, sometimes in the face of strong opposition. This courage to stand for truth, coupled with the gentleness and respect that Peter advocates, allows us to engage meaningfully with a world that desperately needs the hope we carry.
Guarding the good treasure entrusted to us is not about defensive isolation but about active preservation and sharing. It involves continually deepening our understanding of the rich theological heritage we've inherited, from the early church fathers to contemporary thinkers. This 'deposit of faith' provides a stable foundation from which we can address the questions and challenges of our time.
Perhaps most crucially, we must remember that we do not face these challenges alone. The catholicity of the church reminds us that we are part of a global, historical community of believers whose true wholeness is “hidden in Christ with God” (Col. 3:3). By actively seeking out and nurturing Christian community, we create and sustain the very plausibility structures that make faith viable in a secular age.
As we look to the future, we can take heart in knowing that while the form of the church may change, its essence – rooted in the unchanging truth of Christ – remains. The decline in religious affiliation may continue, but those who remain will likely be more committed, more thoughtful in their faith, and more intentional in creating vibrant, Christ-centered communities.
In the end, our task is clear: to fan the flame, to stand unashamed, and to guard the treasure. As we do so, we play our part in ensuring that the light of Christ continues to shine brightly, offering hope, purpose, and peace to a world in need. The journey may be challenging, but it is one worth taking, for in guarding this good treasure, we find that we ourselves are guarded by the One who is faithful and true.