The Rise of the “Nones” Should Not Surprise Us

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 9:41 am by Scott Slayton

The Rise of the “Nones” Should Not Surprise Us 2013-08-13T09:41:37-05:00 Scott Slayton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

There has been a lot of discussion in the last few weeks about the trend of millennials leaving the church and the rise of the “nones,” which is the title that has been given to those who have no religious affiliation. (You can read Pew Research’s article here.) Much of the discussion has centered on why the church is to blame for these trends along with suggestions for what the church should do to change in light of these trends.

My desire today is not suggest what is leading to this trend. Instead, it needs to be pointed out that these kinds of trends should not catch Christians off guard. Our church has been working through the Gospel of John recently, and one thing that stands out in this Gospel is the opposition that Jesus encountered. In the first chapter, John says 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” Later he reports that Jesus’ opponents opposed him at every turn and in one place said that he had a demon. They eventually were able to arrest him, convict him, and murder him. Jesus said that his followers should expect the same. If the master of the house is murdered, what can the servants expect?

The church in the United States, and particularly in the South, is not accustomed to these realities. We have enjoyed a place of privilege in our culture and thought it strange to find a person who was not a member of a church somewhere. Those days are fading fast and we should not be shocked by it. People are not born Christians, and we should not be surprised that people who are not Christians don’t like our message and don’t want to affiliate with our churches.

So what should the church do? First, we should continue to be faithful to the core of our message. We do not shrink back from declaring that the only hope for people is found through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We will not make progress by abandoning our message and changing it to something else. This might swell our numbers, but there will only be a formal religion with a different creed.

Also, we must continue to love our neighbors. The tendency among some has been to lash out at those who are not Christians and develop a bunker mentality. This is unacceptable as well. We love our non-Christian neighbors the way that Jesus loved the people that he encountered and we love as we have been loved by Jesus. Faithfulness to the Gospel and loving our neighbor is not a strategy to get the millennials back in the church, but a simple expression of what it looks like to follow Jesus.

Related Posts:
Reaching the Next Generation

For Further Reading:
Everyday Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

(photo credit: Tico via photopin cc)

Church

Previous Post

August 9, 2013

The Wrath of God, the Death of Jesus, and the Alabama Baptist

Next Post

August 13, 2013 The "Reasons the Church Sucks" Genre Has Got to Go

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Books Church Life Marriage Parenting Photos The Ministry Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 March 2020 July 2019 April 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz