Thanks for being a supporter of So What Faith - a site where matters of faith that matter are explored and where good questions are always more valuable than easy answers. As a writer, I always wonder if anyone will read my words. For So What Faith, I'm able to answer that question thanks to Google Analytics. Note: Google Analytics as I've always know it is coming to an end. Effective July 1, 2023 a new Google Analytics launches. Given this big change, I decided to run some mid-year Read More …
mainline decline
Mainline Decline in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metro Area (#2038)
While I've written extensively about Mainline decline this is the first time I've considered what this decline looks like in my own geography. As someone who has lived all but about a decade of my life in the Dallas - Fort Worth area of Texas, I've long wondered what Mainline decline really looks like here in the area I call home. The exploration that follows offers a county by county look at the region's most populous counties before exploring Mainline decline for the area as a whole. Read More …
PC(USA) Membership – 30 Years of Decline (#2026)
Mainline Protestantism has been in decline my entire lifetime. Since it is the tradition I know best and the one that has shaped and continues to shape my religious identity, I strive to understand these changes. The Presbyterian Church (USA) was created by a merger of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the United States in June 1983. In one of my more popular blog posts - Presbyterian Decline: PCUSA -The First 35 Read More …
Mainline Decline: 1990 to 2020 (#1989)
I've been hearing about Mainline decline for my entire life. As a lifelong participant in multiple denominations within this tradition, I don't remember a time when I was not a part of conversation about what's been happening and why. And, as someone who has served 9 congregations affiliated with denominations in the Mainline Protestant world, I know the practical challenges this trend presents to the local church and to denominations. Decline - The Last 30 Years I was confirmed in Read More …
Saving Liberal Christianity (#0797)
Earlier this week, my post "Can Christianity Be Saved" considered Ross Douthat’s July 14, 2102, New York Times editorial “Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?,” and Diana Butler Bass's reply later that same day on the Huffington Post. During the course of the week I returned to the topic in online and in person conversations. The most encouraging part of the dialogue was the shared understanding about three interelated matters: There is a real Read More …