LYNDON UNGER:
“I’m not that old, but I remember a few decades ago when Canadian culture was far different. I remember when most people described themselves as “Christian”, even though that meant “confused theist” at best. I remember when almost all businesses were closed on Sunday because it was “the Lord’s day”. I also remember when most people were at least affiliated with a church. None of those things are true anymore but for the most part, that’s not because too much has actually changed. The people who pretended to be Christians are no longer pretending, on multiple fronts.
Still, a whole lot of my personal friends have abandoned the faith over the years and I’ve watched hundreds leave the church and several even go from “Bible geek” to “raging atheist”. A while ago, I ran across an article that talked about the importance of Christians being part of a church and it brought this topic to mind. The writer listed several reason why people might be part of a church and several reasons why people might remove themselves from a church, and didn’t cast any judgment on their biblical validity…but this was his comprehensive list.”