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 …
Presbyterian (PCUSA)
Giving Up Mainline Protestantism (#1917)
For Lent, I'm giving up something big: the church I always knew. And, unlike past Lenten disciples that ended on Easter, this change is one I expect to be permanent. My Christian Identity For all of my life, I've self-identified as a Mainline Protestant. Despite this unchanging identification, I've spent significant time outside my own tradition. My experiences beyond the Mainline include Worship. I've visited and worshipped in dozens of congregations affiliated with a variety Read More …
WHCB: Denominations (#1188)
Christian Piatt includes denominations on his list of five things that are holding Christianity back. He suggests that with so many denominations the "distinction from others like them are so minute that even the members within a given denomination can’t tell you what makes them unique." Additionally, he argues that "with the trend toward personal and local autonomy taking hold in many Christian communities, there is increasingly less of a reason to keep such hierarchic Read More …