News of Protestant decline elicits comments
Saturday, October 20, 2012
The new poll showing Protestant decline in the US has been the occasion for remarks from church leaders. A lot of them were predictable (young people don’t like traditional formality) but some of them were insightful. Here are some samples from the Charlotte (NC) Observer 10/10/12:
James Howell, the well-known minister of the very large Myers Park Methodist Church in Charlotte observed that his membership was growing, but regular attendance was way off. Attendance at services, he said, had become “purely optional.” This is certainly disturbing to those of us who never miss a Sunday worship service.
My favorite comment was that of (The Rev. Dr.) Tom Currie, dean of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte. Commenting on lax attendance at worship services, Currie said, “The great temptation of American life is to want a relationship with Jesus that does not implicate me in the lives of others or the community. That is not what Jesus is calling us to do. I believe that following Jesus Christ is impossible without a deep communion with other people.”
