The church has a great opportunity to be the main transformative force in society today. But it’s going to take people of action, people like you. Why? Because the current spiritual landscape of our world is showing that people are losing their religion. More people today are becoming Spiritual but Not Religious (SBNR), which means there is a natural phenomenon occurring where people are becoming more attracted to an authentic, lived out faith in comparison to the “religiously bound” approaches to God that have become more commonplace in modern-day Christianity. How can the church become part of these trends and bring life-change to a lost and hurting world? Here are six reasons why people are losing their religion and a few thoughts on how the church can respond.
1. Christians are becoming more aware of their own hypocrisy
Because Christians are feeling the convicting power of the Holy Spirit working within them, they are becoming more aware of their own hypocrisy, and are often trying to live better lives. Since most of the sins we’re overcoming were learned from the world around us (namely, the church), we know that’s where to go when we want to learn how to overcome sin. Since hypocrisy is typically easier to see in others than it is in ourselves, many people who are losing their religion start by quitting the church in protest against some glaring hypocrisy that they feel the church is exhibiting. If you start noticing that you’re doing this, you might want to reach out and befriend someone who’s lost their religion, because I’ll bet they know where you’re coming from.
2. Christians are becoming more aware of the ministry of Jesus Christ
Christians are also becoming more aware of the ministry of Jesus Christ as they read their Bibles, go to church, or pray. I think we’ve gotten so used to the idea of how church is “supposed” to look and sound that we’ve forgotten how to pray or live as Jesus lived. I think more and more Christians are trying to wake up and smell the coffee every morning, realizing that if they want to be like Jesus, they have to drop the religious trappings that have caused people to lose their religion (like organized religions). I pray that this trend continues and Christians become increasingly aware of the ministry of Jesus Christ and start living like Him.
3. Christians are becoming more aware of their own sin
Christians are also becoming more aware of their own sin, and that’s good news! When we realize that all of us are sinners and are aware of our own sin, then we should understand that no one is above reproach and no one should be allowed to judge anyone else (John 8:3-11). This is huge for Christians who are losing their religion. It means we should always be ready to acknowledge our own sin and never try to look down on those who sin differently than us. In the same way that we are glad that God doesn’t judge us based upon our sinful past, we should also be glad that God doesn’t judge others based on their sinful past. When Christians begin to wake up and smell the coffee every morning in this way, I think they will find that there are many more Christians out there like them than there are non-Christians like them.
4. Christians are becoming more aware of their own bias
Christians are also becoming more aware of their own bias, and I think it’s mostly good news! For example, I think we’ve all seen a lot of Christians who are so adamant about their views that it’s hard to tell where they end and reality begins. They start using the word “heretic” instead of “sin”, they only point out other people’s faults or sins while ignoring their own, and they seem to have the world figured out. That’s not to say we shouldn’t point out our own faults or sins, but I think we need to be careful not to do it in an adamant or arrogant way. When Christians begin to wake up and smell the coffee every morning in this way, I think they will find that there are many more Christians out there like them than there are non-Christians like them.
5. Christians are becoming more aware of their own emotions
Christians are also becoming more aware of their own emotions, and that’s good news! I think a lot of Christians tend to think that they can’t admit that they have feelings about something because it will make them look weak or not Christian enough. But Jesus actually encourages us to be aware of how we feel (Matthew 5:3). It’s not wrong to feel a certain way, as long as what we do is in line with what He wants us to do. When Christians begin to wake up and smell the coffee every morning in this way, I think they will find that there are many more Christians out there like them than there are non-Christians like them.
6. Christians are becoming more aware of their own denomination
Christians are also becoming more aware of their own denomination. I’m not saying that everything is all bad, but I do think that there are some things that we should work on as Christians if we want to be more effective in our witness for Christ. I think we need to be more open-minded about other Christians who differ from us. Even though I’m a Protestant, I have had times where I’ve been totally wrong about the beliefs of a Catholic friend only because I didn’t know enough about the Catholic faith. So I think that when Christians become more aware of their own denomination, it makes them more ready to talk about and explain Christianity to those who may not know much about it. When Christians begin to wake up and smell tthe coffee every morning in this way, I think they will find that there are many more Christians out there like them than there are non-Christians like them.
Conclusion
Why are so many people losing their religion? There are some who would say that it’s because Christians have lost their religion. But I think it’s more than that. I think it’s because Christians have forgotten the basic tenets of Christianity. And when we do that, we are far less likely to be able to effectively share the message of Jesus Christ with others. So I pray that all of you who are reading this article right now (and those who will read it later) will wake up and smell the coffee every morning and remember that we are all called to be Christians and none of us can do it alone.
Article by: Leslie Stokes