CCP15: On Denominational Decline

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the seemingly constant outpouring of scandals, coverups, sexual abuse and institutional corruption in the news tied to the Church, the latest of which involved the huge scandal tied to the Southern Baptist Convention. It leaves many people wondering just how important Christian denominations are when it comes to exploring God. Because right now, denominational Christianity seems to be in an absolute free fall. Episode Links There are several blogs written by Dr. White that are tied to this conversation and that you will find worth the time to read. He discussed how while all denominations have seen a decline in attendance and membership, there is a place where Christianity seems to be on the rise - the global South. You can read more about this trend in a blog titled “Global Snapshot.” Many people who have walked away from denominational Christianity have landed into an ever-increasing group known as the “nones.” In addition to Dr. White's book “The Rise of the Nones,” you may also find the blog titled “Nones Just Keep Rising” helpful for a recent update. A failure to see the urgency of evangelism is also at the heart of the denominational decline. For more on this you'll find it helpful to read a blog titled, “The Real Reason Churches Are in Decline.” Seminaries tied to denominations made their way into the conversation, and you may be interested in reading Dr. White's perspective in a blog titled “The Ending of Seminaries as We've Known Them.” There were three recent Church & Culture podcasts mentioned during this episode that we suggest you go back and listen to if you missed them: CCP4: On Pastors and Moral Failings, CCP7: On Women in Ministry, and CCP9: On Unchurched Christians. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday.