Whither Protestantism?

How is American Protestantism doing these days? A statistician might answer "Not very well!" Until now Protestantism has been the majority religious group in the country. It will soon loose that distinction. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) expects that within a year the number will have dropped to less than fifty percent. Just ten years ago the Protestant share of the population stood at 62.8 percent. Since that time there has been a steady decline.

To what does the NORC attribute this decline? One reason given is that the size of families in general has become smaller. Another reason given is that the retention rate of Protestants who remain Protestants has fallen. Up until ten years ago the retention rate was 90 percent. Now it has dropped to close to 80 percent. Still another factor that lowers the proportion of Protestants in the US is immigration. Only 24.5 percent of immigrants are Protestant. The greater percentage of religious immigrants are Catholic, and an increasing number are Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim.

Confessional Lutherans, who are accustomed to being in a minority, are not much surprised at Protestantism's decline. For decades we have watched it drifting away from solid Scriptural moorings, and we understand that drift as one of the reasons why its rate of retention has also declined. Much of Protestantism has become only a social reform group, with little nourishment for the soul. No longer rooted in the Word, it lacks the vitality and substance necessary to meet the challenges of false religions and heretical sects. "Whither Protestantism them?" you ask. We can expect it to decline proportionately in numbers. Yet, at the same time, we pray that it will recover some lost ground by returning to its true mission in the world-proclaiming the one and only way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon Goes Commercial

Some time this month the Book of Mormon will be available in its first commercial edition. We mention this not so that Sentinel readers can now rush to their nearest bookstore to purchase a copy (at $24.95), but to inform you of the Mormon Church's latest effort to popularize itself and make its religious teachings more palatable to non-Mormons. This marks the first commercial distribution of the book in a more popular format. An elder in the Church's ruling council said the new version would be appropriate for non-church members. He suggested that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints might find this new edition to be "an ideal gift for friends who are not members of the church." A reference guide will be included for the benefit of those not familiar with Mormon teaching.

This publication, one of many "sacred writings" of the Mormon Church, will be another tool alongside their commercials to fool the unwary. An honest examination of Mormon teachings will reveal a salvation by works in which Christ's word becomes merely an aid to man's efforts. Therefore their use of God's name in their official church name is merely window dressing.

Post "Passion" Results

Well-respected theatrical producer Orson Welles once advocated a movie on the Passion of Christ. He wrote to religious leaders, saying: "The story of Christ, more particularly the story of the Passion, told without recourse to theatrical sentimentality or to Hollywood overtones might accomplish much in these times" (Chicago Tribune). Mr. Welles might have been somewhat disappointed at the results of a recent Barna Poll on Mel Gibson's blockbuster, "The Passion of the Christ." There were great expectations for the influence such a film would have. Of the many millions who saw the film just a very modest 18 percent of those who responded to certain surveys said it changed their religious behavior, meaning such things as praying and attending church. Sixteen percent claimed it had stirred in them a deeper understanding of what Christ had done for them.

While any percentage of some positive religious impact is a plus for such a film, remember that it had been billed as "the greatest evangelistic tool" of our time, and yet a very minute number said they were motivated by the film to be more active in sharing Christ with others. This doesn't reflect an especially overwhelming influence. It was pollster Barna's conclusion that in our fast-paced culture "major transformation is not likely to result from one-time exposure to a specific media product."

We shouldn't be surprised that technological marvels have comparatively little influence on people's hearts, when the greatest power of all, the inspired Word of God, has been met with stony silence from millions through the ages. Jesus once told of a man who felt that there might be something more effective than the proclamation of the Word. To him God said: "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:31). That's still true!