The Cull of the Spirit

Re-valuing Pentecost

Editor’s Note: This essay also appears in The Line Issue 11.5 (May 2024); subscribe to The Line here.

---

You can see it in the pews and in the polls. Church affiliation is declining. It has been the trend for at least several decades, and shows little sign of reversing. It follows quite closely the pattern across western Europe, which began over a century ago, leaving only a small remnant today. The statistician for the Anglican Church of Canada, assuming the rate of decline continues at its present pace, announced the last Anglican in Canada would be gone in 2040. While the decline is happening at different rates in the U.S., depending on geography and denomination, it is certainly happening.

Strategies among churches to counteract the trend range from denial to despair to frenetic programs. While there have been occasional local reversals of the trend, no “magic bullet” has been found. The “graying” of the pews indicates that it follows a generational pattern, which the polls again confirm, indicating the older generation of church goers will not be replaced as they fade. Christian youth groups, formerly a standard organization in a congregation, are rare. Statistics of baptisms, confirmations and church weddings are dropping much faster than the general stats.

The explanations of the causes of the trend are numerous, sometimes contradictory and usually lacking in solid evidence. Membership in all organizations is dropping. Churches are not alone in feeling the impact of new generations who are not “joiners.” Some attribute the decline to the failure of churches to adapt to changing cultural and ethical standards. Others point out that the denominations resisting those changes, while not immune to the decline, are doing better than those who are trendy. Some suggest it is the same pattern of “secularization” experienced in Europe in the last century, where a lifestyle appearing not to need or notice churches provides a satisfactory living for most people, who give little thought to the questions of ultimate origins, salvation (indeed, from what?), or God’s existence at all. Another explanation is that our capitalist and enterprise society has moved to the worship of Mammon rather than God, and in the pursuit of profit has no use for the latter.

And there are many more attempts to explain, many of them worth thinking about, (and some of them pretty loony). But none have succeeded in an analysis which, if applied, reverses the trend. Blame and hand-wringing do not achieve measurable results, political solutions make it worse, and as each generation becomes more remote from a Christian point of reference, having a common base of assumptions fades. It is easy to predict doom. Those who focus on the last days, rapture, Armageddon, and the destruction of the planet have much fodder to chew in current events.

But God doesn’t seem worried by this trend. It may be he is simply waiting, as in the days of Sodom, to get down below the ten-man minyan of righteous people before smiting. And all these possible explanations might be going down the wrong road. Perhaps, as in the days of Old Testament Israel, the cause is not in the neighbor nations nor evil infiltrators. Maybe it is internal, not external. When Israel, despite the admonitions of the true prophets, departed from true worship and obedience to God, he ditched them.

An objective look at the Christian scene today is not inspiring, despite the presence of some wonderful saints among us. But we have surely come a long way from what the New Testament lays out for the Christian community, the Body of Christ. First, Jesus prays that we are one (see John 17:20-23), a theme repeated by Peter and Paul. They use the analogy of the body, where each part has its unique function, but the whole body functions as a seamless unit. Yet, our oneness is so shattered that we don’t even notice it anymore, and serious ecumenical efforts are rare. We are clearly not one.

Second, Jesus and the New Testament authors made clear that the single, compelling motive, indeed essence, of God is love (see, for example, 1 John 4:7-12). That love, expressed most completely on the Cross, continues. Christians, however, are no longer renown for their love for others. Christian history is a depressing recitation of anything but true love. In the U.S., most citizens (inside and outside of church) define Christianity as an expression of rules, condemnations, political machinations, sinful leaders, institutional self-interest and such, not as the epitome of love.

Third, the Church, the community of Christians, is mandated by Jesus to serve the goal of reaching all people to enable their salvation, to gather us, as he says, “like a hen gathers her chicks under her wing,” like a shepherd gathers his sheep. There has been considerable mission drift from that goal; institutional survival, lobbying to legislate moral issues on Christians and non-Christians alike, political power itself, personal and institutional affluence, promotion of (or, in reverse, exclusion of ) particular segments or groups in society, national patriotism, to name a few. Some may even be desirable goals, but for Jesus, they are all penultimate to the gathering mission. The Gospel’s message is clear. But sidetracks, rabbit trails and muddled messages make the Church’s purposes and proclamations confusing and contradictory.

God, being love, does not force us. Force is a weapon of violence, not a vehicle of love. The patient nudges of the Holy Spirit have transformed those who paid attention and accepted them. But they have not moved the Church herself. In the present chaos and loss of direction, further hopes of transformation may be futile.

The Holy Spirit has never been accorded the same attention in the West as the other two members of the Trinity. People often speak of “God and Jesus,” believing in what I term a ”Binity” instead of a “Trinity.”It reflects in the impending celebration of Pentecost, which is one of our three great annual festivals, yet has nothing of the impact or profile of Christmas and Easter. But it is the Holy Spirit who is charged with walking with the Christian community, and guiding us. Although he doesn’t force, he does act. Is it possible that the Holy Spirit is intent on a cull of church people? It may be that the current scene is beyond reasonable salvage. A cull can bring the Church back to when she was young, a relatively small community, but on fire to achieve the true characteristics of Christ’s Body in the world. There can come a time when the old structures are no longer functioning. They need to be cleared away, along with the people who cannot have the vision to see past them. New ones must be put in their place. This kind of transformation has happened before in history, and the current state of things certainly argues that such a cull is appropriate, even unavoidable. Unity, love and Gospel clarity absolutely do not describe today’s Church. Yet the Church without these essentials is a barrier to God.

Therefore, weep not as Church declines. The Holy Spirit is not retiring, but regrouping. If you want to help, seek to achieve those Gospel goals of unity, love and clarity. Be prepared that, even when your message is received without opposition, there are many within the Church whose own goals in reality conflict with these aims, and your sentiments will not be followed by appropriate action. There are many who simply do not have the vision to even conceive of a Church focused on these three goals.

But keep persevering, remembering that God is much more patient than we are, and the Holy Spirit will not desert us. As before, when Christ was crucified, dead and buried, it all seemed pretty hopeless. Few remembered Jesus’ promise that, when he was gone, he would send the Spirit. Seek unity with the community of the Faithful, be filed with the Eucharistic love of God, and be clear when you tell the Good News to all who will listen.

And pray, “Come Holy Spirit.”