Christianity. It has been on life support for some time now. At least that is what some think.
Wrote about this possibility a few years ago. Today, I am resharing that piece for discussion and conversation. Continue reading ⬇
Will Christianity Fade Into Oblivion?
“It’s not just millennials leaving the church. Whether married or single, rich or poor, young or old, living in the West or the Bible Belt, almost every demographic group has seen a significant drop in people who call themselves Christians, Pew found.”
That was the paragraph of the story that really caught my attention. We have been hearing for years now that the Christian church membership has been on a rapid descent. Much of this was attributed to a younger population – The Millennials – who were more caught up with everything digital to attend church on Sundays.
This recently published report of findings by the Pew Research Centre sheds a brighter light. More and a more diverse number of people are no longer identifying themselves as Christians. The decline in church attendance was hardly a secret and now this?
What next for the Christian church? Is its leadership ready to listen to the still small but now growing more loud voice?
Shift In Understanding of God
I am one of those who, for years now, do not identify as Christian. My childhood years were spent going to Sunday school every Sabbath morning. There were some Sundays that the entire day was spent on the church premises – from Sunday school to Sunday service, luncheon then bible studies.
During my seven years of living in a communist society where faith was truly a private and, in most cases, a secret matter, I began learning how to meet God on my own.
Upon my return to my island home of Jamaica in 1990, my active belief in God as presented by the churches of my youth had died. Alone and adrift, my questioning of the Church’s teachings intensified. Teachings on:
- sexuality
- the place of women in the world
- my race
- poverty and other social issues that continued to play out in my personal experience
My feet would not cross the threshold of a church for almost 10 years. When they did, it was to enter a place of worship and fellowship that respectfully and intelligently engaged my heart and my mind. This was the moment when my understanding of God, a Higher Power, shifted.
Christianity – Not The Only Path To Source
No longer was God a He but The Source. It is active, ever-present and engaging with human existence with and through me.
Training as an interfaith Chaplain immersed me even more deeply. My appreciation of Life went way beyond anything the traditional church taught me. As my understanding of other religious and spiritual practices including Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Native American spirituality, I embraced my own African spiritual roots.
Through this openness to other paths, my love of Jesus and his teachings grew. No longer was he wrapped up in doctrines and diatribe, division and discrimination as I had witnessed and experienced even firsthand by Christians.
Love became my religion. It was Jesus’ as well, I dare say, just as it was that of all the spiritual leaders whose teachings have not declined but increased.
No Pat Answer
There is no one pat answer or explanation why the Christian faith continues to lose ground. Maybe that is part of the answer – that it is losing ground because it is losing its heart? More focussed on domination and doctrine rather than supporting and facilitating living from a heart-centre, the Church has dropped the ball.
Christianity in the United States, for example, has not done a good job of engaging serious Christian reflection with young people, in ways that would be relevant to their lives.
Though so many have dropped the Christianity identity, the Pew Study quoted earlier tells us, they have not all or necessarily become “infidels.” Many, myself included, now have a more private – secret for some – relationship with God/Source without the intermediary services of a religious institution.
As the article on the Pew Study concludes, we “are more interested in working with the wider world than holding endless debates over sexual morality.”
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Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
It Happens To All Of Us
When Should You Start?
In Canada, purity culture is mostly invisible in mainstream society, much like evangelicals themselves. But it remains fundamental to evangelical thinking.
One example is the 
The Lesson In The Pain
I am a fairly tall woman. Not Michelle Obama kind of tall but I do fair justice to height. My daughter, standing at 5′ 11″ does an even better job and, yes, she got the same question growing up.
Bondage Breakers
When It Comes To Friendships, Etc
I am fast coming to the conclusion that many people prefer liars.
He said that he owns a multimillion-dollar property. The property he claims is rented out and earns him a couple of thousand US dollars per month. This man was driving an unlicensed taxi. Given his age and the overall state of the Jamaican economy at the time and even now, I asked him how did he come into this property.
People will do, say and be what they want and for as long as they wanted. That was the first thing. Secondly, I was the one being hurt and angered by the brutality of my honesty.
Despite all this, studies show that most people have in fact 
Is monogamy reasonable? Can we ever reconcile the improbability of spending a lifetime (also known as many years) with a partner without ever being drawn to another?
Those who endorse alternative approaches — such as “consensual non-monogamy” which allows for romantic or sexual relationships beyond the primary relationship, with the partner’s consent — argue that monogamous relationships are far less stable because people use 
If a couple can plan ahead of time for the possibility that one or both partners might have an intimate moment with another person at some point, this can reinforce the flexibility, tolerance and forgiveness required to adjust if that happens.
This is not to say that you or your partner will ultimately connect intimately with another person in any way despite adopting a new viewpoint about exclusivity. It also does not mean you have to agree that “anything goes,” that your relationship becomes an open relationship in the broadest sense of that term, or that anyone at all can enter your private sphere.
It was lunchtime and stomachs were churning. The lunch-delivery menu was given to us. Among us was KK and he selected my all-time favourite meal. “Oxtail and Beans.” Like a beam of light from another realm, in that instance, I knew that he was a “good people” and we friends.
Work was increasingly stress-filled and negative. I prayed for insight into why I was in that place. The Inner Voice answered and stunned me, “For Judy.”
How did he know to call at that particular moment when the tears were overwhelming me and my heart was breaking into pieces? Would he know that his affirmations of my worth as a person meant so much to my battered self-esteem? His seemingly simple questions lead me to explore the deeper meaning of my situation? Statements and questions like:
Rabbi Gellman concluded that this was not just a man but an “angel.” He was an angel who provided direction. As well, a messenger who delivered a much-needed message. When the job w
Dr Chang is an early member of Daughters of Sheba when it was a private Facebook group. She is a medical doctor and has a Masters degree in Public Health. Janice, Jamaican by birth is a citizen of the USA, where she resides with her husband in Michigan.
A recent poll found the 
This news, combined with stories of 
The third wave has been confusing, and as we look towards our post-pandemic recovery, we will not be able to 
Credits
Consider having a set of skills that could enhance your quality of life. Imagine the ability to be happier, healthier and safer.
In the first part of our lives, it is how we have been parented. Similarly, resiliency is also part of our personalities, belief systems and our faith. Teachers and our community factor into how resilient we become. For instance, we model the behaviour of those that have gone before us as we mature, along with taking courses, reading books and watching videos. Finally, asking for help. That is a big plus on our resiliency score, as no one is an island. Most people in our lives want us to succeed.
3. Problem-solving, information and innovation skills. Resilient people know how to find and use the information to solve problems. Above all, when faced with adversity, they will use a variety of problem-solving models. This helps them identify options for dealing with problems. Question to you. When was the last time you read a book or took a course on problem-solving or innovation? One of my favourites is 
8. Taking care of others and volunteering. People engaged in “required helpfulness” are more resilient. Furthermore, people who believe they have something to contribute feel more empowered. Therefore, they feel confident about themselves. In addition, they mentor, tutor, are peer helpers and volunteer. By doing so, their self-esteem and competency increases.