The Fall of American Protestantism

Washington, DC (TLS). American Protestantism as we once knew it is dead. What was known as 'mainline Protestant denominations' in America have fallen so far away from their spiritual heritage that it is a mistake to refer to their present ideology as 'spiritual' or 'Christian.' A new book that is making its rounds in certain circles should put to rest any doubt that mainline Protestantism is gone.

A book entitled 'American Empire and the Commonwealth of God' has been published by John Knox Press, the publishing arm of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The book refers to America as 'demonic' and proceeds to direct every single term of derision known in the English language against the United States. In fact, the authors claim that the U.S. is a Nazi nation and poses the single biggest threat to the security of the world on the planet.

In spite of the fact that the book purports to be written by 'theologians' and 'scholars,' one is hard-pressed to believe it since they are so obviously out of touch with the real world. Apparently these Einsteins have never heard of Fidel Castro, Kim Jong Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, or Hezbollah.

Oh, I forgot. The common stance among America's so-called 'intelligentsia' today is that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization but a group of 'freedom fighters.'

And I suppose they would think that Hitler was just a nice guy who happened to like skeletons.

For a group that claims to be among America's finest intellects to suggest that America is more dangerous to the world than the individuals and groups listed above should be enough not only to dismiss the entirety of their work but to issue an urgent appeal for them to be evaluated by a psychiatric professional. Their charge is so far over the top that serious-minded people will find it difficult to lend credibility to anything they say.

And hence, the fall of American Protestantism. Mainline Protestant churches for years have fallen victim to every single Leftwing extremist contention known to mankind. In fact, when one visits the average congregation among the mainline churches, one is apt to hear a sermon about how dreadful America is, how government needs to expand to take care of the 'poor, needy, and sick,' and that anytime we defend ourselves against thugs who wish to blow up the world we are 'warmongering.' Precious little of the Christian Gospel that was once preached from these very pulpits in the 18th, 19th, and even part of the 20th centuries is heard today in these churches.

Since the mid-1960s it has been widely speculated that one of the key reasons for the massive decline in membership among mainline Protestant churches is their close association with Liberal politics. As more religious propaganda began to pour from the mouths of pulpiteers who equated the teachings of Christ to the politics of the extremist Left, more and more members headed for the hills. For example, from 1965 until 1985, the United Methodist Church lost upwards of 9 million members. The United Presbyterian Church, which merged with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. to form the Presbyterian Church, USA, has lost over 5 million members. The declines are also most pronounced in the United Church of Christ (to which Barack Hussein Obama belongs), the Disciples of Christ, and the Episcopal Church.

The rank and file members of these extremist Leftwing religious organizations apparently had no stomach for the liberal political propaganda they were hearing week by week.

Interestingly, while the mainline Protestant churches were in a free-fall in membership, evangelical Christian groups such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, the Presbyterian Church in America (the conservative Presbyterians), and Charismatic and Pentecostal groups grew like wildfire.

The situation within the United Methodist Church became so critical that the denomination began to try various means, beginning in the late 1980s, to stem the tide of membership losses. Interestingly, one of the top suggestions that came from the lay people is that less power needed to be concentrated in the clergy and more power given to the laity, which would result in a much more conservative church. From the point of view of the laity, clergy persons who had been educated at the denomination's ultra-liberal seminaries and theological schools were the ones responsible for the decline--because they preached purely a social gospel based upon Leftwing politics.

Interestingly, one of the authors of 'American Empire and the Commonwealth of God' is a professor at Drew University and Theological Seminary--a United Methodist institution. The book was on sale by the United Methodist Publishing House at a national conference on evangelism last month, but the overwhelming majority of United Methodists who attended passed up the book and opted instead to buy material that was more in line with a traditional understanding of the faith.

This is not at all surprising, given the fact that the authors of the book explicitly gave their support to any cause that would bring about the demise of the 'evil American fascist empire,' such as Cuba, Iran, and Venezuelan Communist dictator Hugo Chavez, who referred to President Bush as 'the devil.' Apparently the authors of this book agree with him.

No longer can the citizens of this country sit still while subversive Leftists who infest the faculties of America's theological schools, and their churches, mount a continued assault on American liberty, free-thought, and free enterprise in the name of religion. The Liberty Sphere believes that ultimate evil is embodied in anti-freedom. Thus, if there is any evil afoot in America today, it is the propaganda of America's mainline Protestant churches that espouse a Liberal, Socialistic Communist political agenda in the name of the Lord.

That, my friends, is blasphemy.

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