Young Americans Leaving Church Over MAGA Ideology And Christian Nationalism

@alexvhenderson
Young Americans Leaving Church Over MAGA Ideology And Christian Nationalism
Photo by Stefan Kunze on Unsplash

In polls conducted in 2015 and 2022, the Barna Group asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: "It is becoming harder to find mature young Christians who want to become pastors."

In 2015, 69 percent agreed either "strongly" or "somewhat." In 2022, the number had increased to 75 percent.

Blogger Hemant Mehta analyzes these figures in a column published on his Friendly Atheist blog on September 8. And he cites far-right Christian nationalism and the MAGA movement as key reasons why so many young Americans have no desire to become pastors.

"It doesn't help that the most pressing social issues of our time put conservative Christians on the wrong side of the moral divide — to the point where even younger Christians often disagree with what their churches teach," Mehta argues . "Thirty-eight percent of white evangelicals under 35 support abortion rights compared to 16 percent of those over 65. Younger evangelicals are more likely to support marriage equality. In 2020, younger white evangelicals were less likely than their parents and grandparents to support Donald Trump and Republicans in general."

Mehta continues , "If older pastors are worried about politics dominating their churches, why would younger potential pastors want to run churches made up largely of MAGA cultists? Many of the most devout younger Christians can't even bring themselves to attend churches, much less consider managing them. Why would anyone growing up in a culture where white evangelical cruelty is the GOP's entire platform, and sexual abuse is routinely swept under the rug, and women are treated as second-class citizens, and immigrants are seen as disposable, want the stigma of pastoring a Christian church?"

Reprinted with permission from Alternet .

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

President Joe Biden

Many voters, including Democrats, think that 80-year old President Joe Biden is too old to run for re-election. A recent poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs found that 77 percent of Americans (89 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of Democrats) thought that, if Biden won re-election, his age would be a problem. In contrast, only 51 percent of Americans, and 29 percent of Republicans, said that Donald Trump’s age was a concern. Republican leaders, such as former South Carolina governor and presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley , are pushing that talking point. They warn that Biden might not be able to serve his entire second term and that the less popular Vice President Kamala Harris would wind up in the Oval Office.

Keep reading... Show less

John Roberts

Screenshot from Fox News

A top Fox News reporter is being criticized for his “dishonest” and “mindless attack” suggesting President Joe Biden wasn’t working much on Monday as world leaders are speaking to each other and with their national security teams about the war in Israel.

Keep reading... Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}