What Happended to "Middle-Class" Christianity

[funkStrat_97]

I've been very interested in the trends and changes that the church has gone through over the past 20 years.  Surveys and polls, such as those by Pew, and my own personal observations have lead to me to ask what happened to what I refer to as "middle-class" Christianity.  The answer is is somewhat obvious; the American middle-class has been decimated by changes in the economy which have also contributed to other changes in the American mind-set. 

So, you may be wondering; what is this so-called "middle-class Christianity" of which I speak?  My point of reference is from the time I confessed Christ as my savior to now so this would go all the way back to 1991.  It was during this time, that the middle-class seemed to be doing well.  Prices were reasonable and it actually seemed that  you really could make it if you tried.  The job market was a job-seeker's delight and the mood of the country was generally happy.  The church was a reflection of this prosperity and Christianity (for better or worse) had gained a foothold in mainstream society.  While there has always been opposition to the Christian faith, it didn't seem that it was as intense as it is by today's standards.

There seemed to be gains being made by the church and dominionism, to one degree or another, was generally accepted.  We basically had created an alternate Christian society that touted a bold new vibrant church that held the answer to the social ills of society.  But gong back to the dominionism thing, the rise of the Christian right and its integration into the conservative republican camp set us on a collision course with mainstream America that would undo the apparent gains of the 90's to early/mid-2000's.  This situation would be made worse with the conditions that lead to the great recession and subsequent demolition of the middle-class.  The job market has changed dramatically to the point that we are slaves to corporate masters who don't seem to be concerned about work-life balance.  With the Internet now giving a voice to everyone, those who are hostile towards Christianity have been given a louder voice and a new mind-set seems to be taking over and it now appears that we are seeing a decline in Christian/religious influence over our lives.  Even millennials are abandoning our pews.

What should we now do (if anything)?  What do you think the church will look like over the next 20 years?

[gtrdave]

I think the church...the global church and especially the American church...needs to do what it should have been doing from the start; obey all that Jesus taught and continue to be more Christlike instead of being more conservative, more Republican and more pro-American, thinking that "right wing = Christian". We should also be clear that being Christian is not about giving up everything and giving it to the poor. That's necessary for those who keep their eyes on their stuff more than on Jesus, or for those who are truly called to extreme servant-based ministry.
Following Jesus is not a Democrat thing nor a Republican thing. It's not liberal nor conservative. It's not being a great American nor a bad American. It's not denominational or non-denominational.
It's being more like Jesus and having everything else falling in behind that or being abandoned because of that.

Middle-class Christianity blew up in our faces because of hypocrisy, especially in regards to marriage and gay marriage. It looks really bad when the so-called defenders of "traditional" marriage have a huge wake of permissible divorces all around, knowing full well that God hates divorce...but we'll conveniently ignore that fact while we tell the gays that they can't be a part of the marriage party because of this imaginary ideal of "the sanctity of marriage" that many of us have failed to abide by ourselves.
We made ourselves look like idiots.

What will the church look like in 20 years? I think overall attendance will continue to decline as God continues to refine us, removing the lukewarm element. I think more denominations will fade away and I think the mega-church model will lose it's ability to impress. I pray that the era of worshiping the worship experience will end and we get to worshiping the only One who is worthy of worship.

[SavnBass]

I think the church...the global church and especially the American church...needs to do what it should have been doing from the start; obey all that Jesus taught and continue to be more Christlike instead of being more conservative, more Republican and more pro-American, thinking that "right wing = Christian". We should also be clear that being Christian is not about giving up everything and giving it to the poor. That's necessary for those who keep their eyes on their stuff more than on Jesus, or for those who are truly called to extreme servant-based ministry.
Following Jesus is not a Democrat thing nor a Republican thing. It's not liberal nor conservative. It's not being a great American nor a bad American. It's not denominational or non-denominational.
It's being more like Jesus and having everything else falling in behind that or being abandoned because of that.

Middle-class Christianity blew up in our faces because of hypocrisy, especially in regards to marriage and gay marriage. It looks really bad when the so-called defenders of "traditional" marriage have a huge wake of permissible divorces all around, knowing full well that God hates divorce...but we'll conveniently ignore that fact while we tell the gays that they can't be a part of the marriage party because of this imaginary ideal of "the sanctity of marriage" that many of us have failed to abide by ourselves.
We made ourselves look like idiots.

What will the church look like in 20 years? I think overall attendance will continue to decline as God continues to refine us, removing the lukewarm element. I think more denominations will fade away and I think the mega-church model will lose it's ability to impress. I pray that the era of worshiping the worship experience will end and we get to worshiping the only One who is worthy of worship.

I could not agree more with this sentiment. I think that when we look back we will find that the religious right has done more harm to Christianity in America than just about any single entity.

[funkStrat_97]

Middle-class Christianity blew up in our faces because of hypocrisy, especially in regards to marriage and gay marriage. It looks really bad when the so-called defenders of "traditional" marriage have a huge wake of permissible divorces all around, knowing full well that God hates divorce...but we'll conveniently ignore that fact while we tell the gays that they can't be a part of the marriage party because of this imaginary ideal of "the sanctity of marriage" that many of us have failed to abide by ourselves.
We made ourselves look like idiots.

I think that the acceptance of gay marriage was inevitable, but.....the church has done a horrible job of standing up for our marriages.  But then again, I think it goes to a much deeper place than just that.  I am of the opinion that a lot of Christianity was powered by man's will and understanding rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We figured out ways to create church growth and did a lot to effectively sell and market Christianity.  Remember the rise of these so-called mega churches?  We were successful in manufacturing a Christian utopia that was filled with bright lights and all the comforts that life in America could offer.  But again, without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless.  And this was never meant to be a popular way.  Few there be that find it, the Bible says, but we were determined to get the big numbers and we did.  But as time went on, the veil has been lifted to reveal the truth behind those numbers. 

[terranb7]

There is no middle class Christianity, the word of God teaches us Holiness without no man shall see the lord.  You must be righteous, you can't eat a half baked cake, it must be all the way done.  When it comes to Righteousness, Christianity that is what God expects from us.  the word declares we must worship him with a true heart.  you can worship God with a true heart and be a middle class Christian.,

[SavnBass]

An interesting read..

The demise of Christianity

[gtrdave]

"History has proven unequivocally the trite use of biblical justification is a less than worthy adversary when one decides to drink from the well of equality that was originally dug by the Founders."

I'm surprised that the author wrote what he wrote. That "well of equality" that the Founders dug was hardly equal and still isn't.

[SavnBass]

You got that right..