Reversing the March of Secularism

The last twenty-five years have seen a more aggressive march of secularism in American society. Over 40 million Americans, or 12% of the population, have “de-churched” and no longer claim a religious affiliation. That comes despite sociological studies that reveal religious participation contributes to better health, longer life, higher levels of generosity, and more stable family life. Meanwhile, levels of loneliness, mental health conditions, and alcohol and drug abuse have skyrocketed.

I recently read two articles published in recent editions of the Atlantic Monthly. One was entitled “The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church” by Jake Meador, editor of Mere Orthodoxy, and the other was titled “American Christianity is Due for a Revival” by Timothy Keller. Over the next two weeks, I’m writing a short review of the articles. This week, I’ll reflect on the Meador article.

Meador wrote that it isn’t scandal or anger at the Church that has caused the decline but what he calls “workism.” Despite the belief that our country is religious, individualism and not mutuality is our fundamental social American characteristic. The image of the self-made individual who lives on their own terms without needing support from others is regarded as a model for our society. That leads to defining our worth by what we produce and becoming overextended.

Meador writes that the Christian Church should be an antidote or a safety net against an over-demanding lifestyle. It teaches that our work doesn’t define us. Our relationship with God defines us. But, Meador points out that a relationship with God demands time for prayer and scripture reading. It requires time that many suffering from the demands of a busy life don’t seem to possess. Why would they want a Church that demands more of them?

Meador points out that for the Church to reverse secularization, it needs to point out another way of life. The Church must encourage not a way of life that is less demanding but one that is more so. The Church shouldn’t scale back what it expects from its adherents but expect more. Whenever Jesus called his Apostles, he required them to abandon what distracted them from following him. He told them to leave their nets, toll booths, plows, and workshops and accept the risk of following him.

The Church needs to model better a true community where the physically and spiritually hungry are fed, the weak lifted up, and the proud cast down, Maedor claims. The Church has always been its most vital and provocative when it has challenged popular culture and not assented to following it. As Churchgoers, let’s resist the challenges of workism and emphasize our efforts to grow in our relationship with God so we can share the presence of Christ with the world.