Is the West experiencing a revival of Christianity? It’s a question we often ponder here at The Free Press. We’ve covered the rise of a religious podcast with millions of female fans, the boom of an app that’s making people better Christians, the packed Gen-Z churches in New York City, and the renaissance of a monastery on a remote island off the coast of Scotland.
But the revival is uneven. It’s happening online, and in many Catholic churches, and some Orthodox traditions. At the same time, across America, mainline Protestant churches—think American Baptists, Episcopalians, evangelical Lutherans—are dying. Sanctuaries once full of people worshipping side by side, without concern for political or cultural differences, now sit half empty. And political scientist and American Baptist pastor Ryan P. Burge has a theory about why.
In his brand-new book, The Vanishing Church, which is out January 13, Burge argues that the political polarization of American society has seeped into the pews, causing many to leave the kinds of churches long known for welcoming doubters and rejecting dogma. The consequences for the country, he warns in the following excerpt, could be catastrophic. —The Editors
Nine. There were nine people in the room, including myself. As I sat facing the congregation, listening to the pianist begin the service with a short prelude, I counted again. I didn’t want anyone else to know what I was doing—a pastor counting heads on a Sunday morning is never a good look—so I tried to bounce my eyes quickly around the room. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long to count to nine. After I was satisfied that I hadn’t missed anyone hiding in the corners, the realization washed over me: It was the first Sunday we hadn’t broken double digits.
