Hard Lessons From the Dechurched: Healthier Information Diets
Matt Rice and I recently concluded our third season of Ministry Today, a podcast focused on assisting local churches, church leaders, and Christians in various areas of ministry. The twelve-episode season explored the research, insight, and conclusions of The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take To Bring Them Back? The authors indicate that the American Church has gone through the greatest religious shift in history (Davis, Graham, & Burge, 2023, 5). This shift has seen more people leave the American Church in the last 20 years than all those saved through the First and Second Great Awakenings and the Billy Graham Crusades combined. The dechurched are those who once attended church at least once a month and now attend church services a couple of times a year or less. Why did they leave? What will bring them back?
This is the third in a series of articles sharing insights from that book, podcast series, and personal thoughts to help us understand this cultural and religious shift properly. Today’s article is my second recommendation on what we can do better. We need healthier information diets so that our lives and attitudes aren’t shaped disproportionately.
What is healthy?
Physically, it is much easier to define the health of a person. Doctors can order tests measuring blood pressure, liver and sugar levels, organ function, etc. These tests mark one’s health based on objective medical research that indicates optimal physical performance and longevity.
What is spiritual health? You could point to one’s spiritual journey and see if they are growing in their faith in Christ and repentance of sin, but that isn’t objective. It can be more subjective. You don’t always know someone else’s inner thoughts, struggles, or triumphs. However, we can objectively look to Scripture and see Jesus instructing his disciples on the implications of the Gospel and how one should joyfully obey him. The Sermon on the Mount and Beattitudes are instructive as much as the Great Commission and Great Commandment.
I define spiritual health for this article as pursuing holiness, righteousness, and obedience to Christ. In other words, is this person, am I, growing in Christlikeness?
Why aren’t we healthy?
Genetics, environment, and food are factors contributing to physical health. People can be genetically predisposed to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more. Someone can be exposed to environmental factors such as asbestos and burn pits that would make them more susceptible to lung diseases. Food is another factor in one’s health. Too much sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and alcohol all have an impact on our health.
Three of the biggest reasons people dechurched wasn’t because they lost their faith and belief in Jesus. The most common causes of people to dechurch included the church’s focus on politics (both left and right), parents being uncharitable and hateful towards those who disagreed with them, and the church not actively serving community needs.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the more one watches or listens to partisan political shows and pundits, the less Christlike they become. Recently, a popular Christian Nationalist pastor said that he wished to crush his enemies, and those enemies were Democrats. What of Jesus telling us to love our enemies?
Whether politics, music, books, TV, social media, or podcasts, these mediums shape our mood, thinking, and personality. They aren’t bad or good; they are neutral. However, many spend an inordinate amount of time imbibing one genre, perspective, or medium. Imagine someone who eats nothing but ice cream. This sounds like a great idea to a child, but an adult realizes the havoc it would wreak on their body.
Our information diet often impacts our disposition toward those with whom we disagree. If you watch TV, listen to podcasts, and read books that portray those you disagree with as detestable and enemies, that can also impact how you view them.
How can we get healthier?
Several years ago, my doctor discovered that I had high blood pressure. Over time, she put me on medication. When I moved from NC to MA, there was a lapse in healthcare, so I stopped taking the medication and changed my diet and activity level. When I met with my new doctor, we were surprised to find my blood pressure normal.
Step one is diagnosing the problem. If you realize that you aren’t spiritually healthy and are not embodying or growing to embody Christ, then good. Step two is discovering what is causing this spiritual diversion. To identify the cause of your spiritual limp, you need to ask what forms and sources you are receiving information. Are the people you listen to always angry and self-righteous? Is there room for disagreement between friends? Is your music or podcasts disproportionately angry? What are these things teaching you, and how do they impact you?
I love movies and TV. I listen to a lot of True Crime and ’90s/early ‘00s punk rock. The Office is quoted daily in my home. God is gracious and sound to provide us with all these creative means to enjoy his creation. However, they aren’t meant to consume us. Instead, we should be consumed with the Lord. Enjoy those things as much as they glorify God, but do not allow these mediums to shape you more than Scripture, Christ, and the Spirit.
