Decline of christianity in the united states

[Szdfan]

My Bible doesn’t say anything about a “black church”.

My Bible doesn’t say anything about Holdemans, Amish, Mennonites or Anabaptists either.

[ohio jones]

Ill add two more. What time period in American History was great? Why was that a great period? And who was it great for?

... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope?

?? In the U.S.? Did i miss something?

That's a lot of question marks. I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition (nobody does).

[temporal1]

.. I feel like you’re using polite, spiritual language to dismiss ..

“i feel like” is speculation .. the rest is unwarranted.

it’s taken me a lifetime to get where i am, it hasn’t been a journey with intent to harm others.
i have no idea what you’ve experienced that rouses such suspicions of others. i’m glad i don’t have that burden.

i prefer to accept others at face value. (for instance, like this thread’s OP.)
I admit, sometimes i come across scoundrels! not the majority. i guess it’s my nature. i’ve been doing so for 14 years on this forum.

[temporal1]

... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope?

?? In the U.S.? Did i miss something?

That's a lot of question marks. I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition (nobody does).

i’m serious. what are you referring to? i don’t even know Catholics that are devoted to the Pope, much less fanatically so. not born in the U.S.

[temporal1]

“What if?” .. Christians trusted God?

Genesis 50:20
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMVhOrmo72r/

All things work together…

When you are with the Lord, even the plans of the enemy will be for you good

It doesn’t matter what the enemy is planing , your focus should remain on the Lord , stay with him , dwell with him , focus on him, let the enemy keep throwing their arrows, you have nothing to fear, if God allows it , know that it’s for a reason , keep praising him all the way to the end

[Szdfan]

.. I feel like you’re using polite, spiritual language to dismiss ..

“i feel like” is speculation .. the rest is unwarranted.

it’s taken me a lifetime to get where i am, it hasn’t been a journey with intent to harm others.
i have no idea what you’ve experienced that rouses such suspicions of others. i’m glad i don’t have that burden.

i prefer to accept others at face value. (for instance, like this thread’s OP.)
I admit, sometimes i come across scoundrels! not the majority. i guess it’s my nature. i’ve been doing so for 14 years on this forum.

I’m not suspicious. I'm observant. I notice patterns. I notice contradiction. I value clarity.

People often like to hide what they're really saying. You tend to write in this obtuse, stream of consciousness, highly spiritualized way that makes it hard to understand or pin down what you actually believe. Like I said earlier, arguing with you is like arguing with a fog. I feel like your writing conceals as much as it reveals.

Now, I'm not going to speculate about why you write like this, but the impact of your words matter, regardless of your intent.

So for example, you denied the existence of the Black Church. You called the Civil Rights Movement a "government experiment." You framed it with spiritual language about unity and trusting God, but that framing doesn't erase its implications. The effect of your words is historical erasure. They are denying the existence of an entire Christian theological and cultural tradition. By saying that the Black Church should have trusted God and waited instead of protesting, your words are telling an oppressed group of people that they shouldn't have resisted their oppression.

People often like to hide in plain sight.
They often use spiritual language to protect themselves from criticism, especially when what they're saying is provocative.
So honestly, I don't think you're a bad person, but I do think your words matter and I think it's okay to examine your words and discern what they mean. So when you say...

in my view, i think it’s a mistake for Christians to fall for the popular trap that MLK Jr, the Civil Rights Act, etc., “HAD” to happen.

And

“What if?” .. Christians trusted God?

And

i’m not sure there’s a “Black Church”. i’m sure there’s not a “White Church” or “Mexican Church” or “Italian Church”.

...I think you are erasing the experiences of real people, real suffering and real theology, regardless of your intentions.

This isn't an attack against you or your character. I don't know what your motives or intentions are. All I know is what your words are doing and I think I'm holding a mirror up and honestly pointing out what they mean.

[barnhart]

The Black Church and their allies were following and trusting God during the Civil Rights movement.

as you might guess, i’m interested and respectful of all “minorities” when it comes to Christianity, no matter location on earth.
there is a universal quality when authentic faith is present that transcends race. it’s a beautiful thing where ever its found.

unfortunately, these churches are not exempt from becoming politicized, as so many have been.
temptations challenge all, that’s for sure.

The main reason why the Black church became political during the Civil Rights movement was because it was the only public space in the Jim Crow south were Black people could gather and organize and not be persecuted by the authorities or the Klan. Had they tried to form labor unions or political parties or any other sort of political organization it would have been violently persecuted.

That is a big reason why so many civil rights leaders were ministers. They were the only ones who were allowed a public voice in the south.

Another factor is there were very few black men with financial freedom to speak or act independently. Black pastors income did not hinge on pleasing the white majority.

[Bootstrap]

The Black Church and their allies were following and trusting God during the Civil Rights movement.

as you might guess, i’m interested and respectful of all “minorities” when it comes to Christianity, no matter location on earth.
there is a universal quality when authentic faith is present that transcends race. it’s a beautiful thing where ever its found.

unfortunately, these churches are not exempt from becoming politicized, as so many have been.

And neither are we. Many churches across the spectrum—left and right—have been drawn into politics in ways that compromise the gospel.

We’ve heard politicians say things like, “I alone can fix it.” That’s not just wrong—it’s heresy. Only God saves. We should be the first to say so.

Some Christians are gripped by fear—of change, of immigrants, of people who don’t look like us. But the world has always been changing. We are called to trust God, not to cling to grievance.

As you said, authentic faith transcends race. That should shape how we see everyone: not as threats, but as fellow image-bearers of God—our brothers, sisters, or mission field.

[Bootstrap]

The main reason why the Black church became political during the Civil Rights movement was because it was the only public space in the Jim Crow south were Black people could gather and organize and not be persecuted by the authorities or the Klan. Had they tried to form labor unions or political parties or any other sort of political organization it would have been violently persecuted.

That is a big reason why so many civil rights leaders were ministers. They were the only ones who were allowed a public voice in the south.

Another factor is there were very few black men with financial freedom to speak or act independently. Black pastors income did not hinge on pleasing the white majority.

And they were very much inspired by the Exodus and by Ezekiel and the dry bones. Some of those sermons are compelling and biblical and inspiring.

Much of the civil rights movement was bathed in hymns and in faith. "We shall overcome". "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round". "This Little Light of Mine". "I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Jesus". These hymns were a defiant, joyful declaration that God sees, God hears, and God delivers. They drew power from the stories of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus, reminding people that their struggle for justice was sacred. The Black church was the beating heart of their communities—the place they gathered, prayed, organized, and hoped.

They had courage because they trusted God.

I don't see much of that in politicized Christianity today. On either side of the spectrum. And that's a real decline of Christianity in the United States.

[Valerie]

I remember when Obama was president the “Reverend” he sat under for 20 years. The video clips of this man’s messages seemed extremely political & radical. It was one of the huge red flags about Obama.

https://www.politico.com/story/2008/03/ ... ory-009051

We have a black church in our town. Sometimes blacks are prejudiced against whites. During the BLM days I had 2 regular customers that were black that were hateful to me as a cashier yet I have good relationships with many blacks.

The only time I was threatened to be beat up was by a group of black girls who wanted my money (I was 14) and they circled around me but thankfully one of them told them to leave her alone.