I can't stop thinking about the moral decline America has gone through since
World War II, and how the church may be responsible at least in part for it.
America was founded as a deeply religious country, and somehow we (the
church) have allowed a pretty devout country (at least in its founding) over
250 years, to become perhaps the most degenerate society since the
classical Greek and Roman cultures.
I do think that any country which experiences the sort of economic blessings
and upward mobility that America has given people for the last 70 years is
going to become decadent. In that, I don't think it's a uniquely American
thing. We are the most prosperous country in the history of mankind when
you consider the opportunities that people have had, both native born
people and people who have come here, have experienced.
Perhaps Christians in America are not so bad in that any nation which
experiences our kind of prosperity will naturally become materialistic and
worldly, and will probably subvert evangelization and witnessing to others
about Christ to more immediate economic concerns, opportunities, and
increased avenues for pleasure, which our media system has certainly given
us. Additionally, the fact that evangelicals in particular, who form a great
percentage of the church as it is portrayed in American popular culture,
always seem like they want to fit in and be "relatable" to unbelievers in their
messaging (I'm talking about churches and ministries, not necessarily the
people who attend those churches) in order to win them explains why those
same religions are rejected by most people.
I also don't think people see enough light shining from us as a whole. If
people want a religion, which very often they don't in America (for the very
same reasons that Christians become lukewarm) they want one that clearly
is producing fruit in the lives of those who adhere to it.
I don't think that the Christian faith does well in times of prosperity. In
ancient days, Rome was corrupt, and the Christians brought salt and light
into it, whereas the exact reverse has occurred in America in the last 70
years or so. This seems to correspond almost perfectly with the rise of
America as a world superpower following World War I and the industrial
revolution before that, notwithstanding the Great Depression. I know there
was slavery before all of that and it's not like America was ever a Christian
utopia, but it wasn't as degenerate as now. What is concerning is that AI can
end up turning even more people away from God, as they can try to become
their own digital gods.
One could argue that it was the industrial revolution and the increased
opportunity for wealth and pleasure that compromised the church, especially
after World War II, coupled with the vapid nature of modern evangelical
religion and public indifference and mistrust towards traditional (in this case,
Catholic) religion that explains why America is such a profoundly declining
and irreligious nation.
It seems like unbelieving America has rejected evangelical Protestantism
because it sees no fruit, because it is in love with sin and with the devil
(there are so many opportunities in America to worship the devil and his
fruits), there's not enough contrast between evangelical religion and the
world, and Catholicism is not a viable alternative to many unchurched people
because having a religion that is perceived as restrictive, formal, and rigid is
the last thing they are wanting. I mean, if Protestant evangelical preaching
was compelling at all, I think droves of people would sign up, because having
a "personal" religion ("relationship") with God apart from any membership to
a church is about as appealing a concept as an American would be willing to
accept.
I would like to get opinions from those who have tracked with this post
(sorry!) on whether the church's failure in America in the last 70 years is due
to economics, spirituality, both, or factors I am not taking into account?
