Of Interest

Saw this article/survey today, and thought it was interesting.

Six Reasons to Stop Going to Church

The church in America is losing the young. And they are not necessarily coming back. According to a recent survey by the Barna Group, Six in ten young adults will leave the church for an extended period of time and some will never return. While there is probably a plethora of reasons why people leave church, six reasons seem to come to the top. According to Leadership Journal they are:

Isolationism. One-fourth of 18- to 29-year-olds say church demonizes everything outside church, including the music, movies, culture, and technology that define their generation.

Shallowness. One-third call church boring, about one-fourth say faith is irrelevant and Bible teaching is unclear. One-fifth say God is absent from their church experience.

Anti-science. Up to one-third say the church is out of step on scientific developments and debate.

Sex. The church is perceived as simplistic and judgmental. For a fifth or more, a "just say no" philosophy is insufficient in a techno-porno world. Young Christian singles are as sexually active as their non-churched friends, and many say they feel judged.

Exclusivity. Three in 10 young people feel the church is too exclusive in this pluralistic and multi-cultural age. And the same number feel forced to choose between their faith and their friends.

Doubters. The church is not a safe place to express doubts say over one-third of young people, and one-fourth have serious doubts they'd like to discuss.

What do you think? Why else are the young leaving church? Have you left the church and if so why?