the pathology of decline

 

In the nation where Christianity changed profoundly, and was adopted as part of its cultural identity, this same Christianity is now in sharp, irreversible decline.

And that is just because Christianity was changed, molded, re-engineered to fit into the nation.

In polling conducted by the Pew Research Center in the last year, Christian churches and institutions are found to be losing population share in every index. At the same time, the "nones" are on the rise -- again, on every index:

Of course, some people have immediately responded to this decline by promoting their own options or alternatives. Anxious "strategic" conferences have been held. Various strategic "withdrawals" and defense postures have been advertised.

But before restructuring programs are embarked upon, I think a pathological study is called for on this decline.

Here are some of the obvious causal factors, for your consideration

1. The co-terminous melding of American politics with the protestant ethos -- a melding that began at the very beginning of the American political order (long before Independence).
   
   
2. The rootedness of secularization (i.e., the sociological application of scientific, deterministic and voluntaristic materialism) in America, and its corollary hyper-commodification of nature and desire.
   
   
3. The reduction of Christian thought to a univocal, anti-metaphysical immanence -- practically confined to a Kantian immanential frame. This is as true of fundamentalist Christianity as it is of mainstream "liberal" Christianity, and it might even be truer.
   
   
4. The disregard of angelology (as found in Christian Philosophy that is, not in New Age sentimentality), and the inane preference for demonology (with spectacular exorcisms) and implicit, dynamic demonism.
   
   
5. The decay of Christian philosophy in Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant communities, to the point where many members are really fundamentalists who are in possession of a larger digest of sola scriptura proof texting sources (i.e., the Fathers appended now to Scripture), and who are more accurately recognized as "evangelicals of the Byzantine rite," and not as radical (i.e., "from the root") witnesses of the Apostolic Tradition.
   
   
6. The alliance of Christian communities with partisan affiliations and the corollary wholesale identification with political agenda. It's one thing to criticize prophetically political issues, but it's quite another to become members of partisan groups -- e.g., Pastor Jeffress producing a "hymn" in his megachurch that pretty much hails the President and his distinctive politics.
   
   
7. The horrible, hyper-capitalistic voodoo of the health and wealth movement. The inevitable disappointment produces not an atheism that can be dealt with, but rather a dull-witted agnosticism and cynicism that is calcified against any transcendental.
   
   
8. The voluntaristic suppression of the sacraments and sacramental theology, and the acceptance of generalized commodification (and technological exploitation) of nature. The diminution of Creation into a univocal field of potential wealth.
   
   
9. The rejection of humanity as heart of Creation and beginning of universal transfiguration. The acceptance of the term "individual." The re-definition of "person" as an isolated existential ego. The superficial rendering of this ontological rejection as the replacement of theosis with juridical categories like "justification" and "sanctification" as discrete status.
   
   
10. The lack of real Trinitarian theological thinking at the heart of the Christian community, and its corollary failure to construct a sophiological worldview. Consciousness is thus fragmented into a series of discrete, unconnected moments, where thoughts do not survive from one moment to the next. Jesus Himself is reduced to opinion, and is practically held as a demi-god hero (much like Arius did).

I'm sure there's more.

But I'm convinced that only one therapy will penetrate this general low-intensity demonized haze. It is not a program, or a "renewal project," or a hegemonized lay-monasticism

I think what remains is a return to the "full Gospel" of Apostolic establishment of the faith, an establishment that is more sophiological, more metaphysical, more charitable, more generalized communion.

More Trinity, more Christ. More Cross and love. More peace. More wisdom. More recognition of and wonder at Creation, and being overwhelmed by the Creator.