LESS CHRISTIANITY, LESS PRIVILEGE
Earlier this week the Pew Forum released an article titled, “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Central to their findings was the fact that the numbers of those who identify as Christians has dramatically declined.
The response to the research has been a mixed bag of concern and a “no need to worry” approach. Implicit in the response of many Christians is a low-level nervousness.
It’s not quite “a handwriting on the wall” moment – at least not right now – but for many the research felt a “doomsday-ish.” Ed Stetzer tried to explain why Evangelicals should not panic (see article here). Stetzer made some good points, but there was one line that caught my attention.
He wrote, “… the cultural cost of calling yourself “Christian” is starting to outweigh the cultural benefit.” It is this line that causes fear in the hearts of Christians. Reading Stezer’s article in light of this fear made it feel like his attempt to calm a panicked crowd.
For generations being a Christian meant power and influence. And now, we are losing that. It is no longer beneficial to identify as a Christian. In my context here in urban Denver, claiming to be an Evangelical, can set you back even further.
It is this loss of influence and power that makes many Christians nervous. Some respond defensively by claiming those leaving the Church don’t want to live under the authority of Scripture or have ceded to cultural moral standards or no longer want accountability in their life (and yes, I have heard every single one of these things said multiple times).
Notice each of these claims suggest a loss of influence or control in the lives of individuals. For example, when a Christian claims a someone leaves the Church because she no longer wants to be guided by Scripture – that very claim recognizes a declining influence. And when the Bible no longer has power over someone’s life, Christians lose the ability to control others and define reality.
We see this in Stetzer’s article too. He writes many in America today “identify as “nones” because it’s more culturally savvy.” Which is to say, the Christian label no longer holds power and sway as it once did. And when a growing number of people no longer want the label Christian we lose power.
This teaches Christians are losing our place of privilege, and for many, this loss causes the fear. Deep inside, most Christians know the culture war is over … and we lost. The majority of Americans are for same-sex marriage, and a Supreme Court decision is not going to change minds. Most Americans support a woman’s right to choose, and, let’s be honest, prayer is not returning to schools.
Rather than go down humbly in defeat, too many Christians seem intent on taking as many as possible down with them. This should not surprise us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.” And American Christians are no exception to this rule.
It is this observation I find most fascinating.
Because Christians claim to follow Jesus who do not consider his place, power or privilege as something to cling to or something to be used for his advantage. Just the opposite. He gave up power that was equal to the power of God, humbled himself, became a human just like us and allowed himself to die – and not just a normal death – but the agonizing death of the cross.
This observation made by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 ought to challenge the hearts and attitudes of Christians in America. For too long we have considered power to be used precisely for our own advantage. Rather than humble ourselves, we have grasped for top-down influence. All the while forgetting the higher we’ve climbed the farther it is to fall.
This has slowly turned Christianity from a life of following the teachings of a humble-but-divine, Eastern, Jewish peasant into a system of power, privilege and comfort. The study from Pew Research does not indicate Christianity is dying. However, it does offer us the opportunity to go against the flow of history and, in imitation of Jesus, give up our privilege voluntarily – just as he did.
I fully agree with Stetzer. We should not “run around with our hands in the air and say, ‘The sky is falling! The sky is falling!’” Why? Because it is also a historical fact that the people of God are at their best when we are stripped of power and privilege and pushed to the margins.
When this happens, perhaps for the first time, we will have eyes to see beyond the power-system we call Christianity, and discover the heart of Jesus. The one who knew power is found in weakness. If anything, I pray this research and data will drive more of us than any before to forfeit privilege, for the sake of redemption.
May it be so.