If you've ever been online, saw a meme.
Next to the “Catholic” label is a world-famous tourist attraction: the cathedrals of Europe. Next to the “Orthodox” label is another world-famous tourist attraction – Russian cathedrals. Next to the “Protestant” label is a shopping mall with corporate-style signs that say things like “Living Waters Church.”
If you've never been online, this is how Gen Z perceives the Christian world.
There is a conservative resurgence among Generation Z in response to the radical left and social decline we grew up with. This flavor of conservatism is more than just “Republican,” it has a unique focus on tradition.
It is increasingly common among Gen Z men to support religion, the monarchy, social hierarchy, and all the things that the Enlightenment destroyed. As a result, Christianity that looks and feels “traditional” is seen as attractive, while Christianity that feels “modern” in style and beliefs is seen as repulsive.
In a sense, this is a positive development because social and religious identities cannot survive unless they are rooted in tradition. But the problem with Protestantism is that most young people think of it as “modern” and therefore bad.
That's why recently, New York Post article observedyoung people are leaving Protestantism in droves and converting to Eastern Orthodoxy, which they see as a more traditional alternative.
It's hard to blame them for thinking that.
The current reality is: Only a small portion of Protestant churches are entirely traditional.
An increasing proportion of “Protestant” churches are actually “nondenominational,” or churches that have no ties to any particular Christian tradition. The vast majority of such churches have very modern architecture and use contemporary worship music. It doesn't feel like a traditional church because it's specifically designed to not feel like a traditional church. In the 1990s, when tradition was seen as evil, they promoted themselves as “not your grandmother's church.”
But now the tide has turned and it is hitting them again.
To make matters worse, a sectarian style is creeping into the mainline Protestant churches. The New York Post article also includes examples of Christians breaking away from Protestantism as churches switched from traditional to modern worship. They felt that Protestantism was always “changing” and Orthodoxy “never” changing.
In fact, there is a large group of Protestant churches that have largely resisted stylistic changes. These are mainline Protestant churches and include the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church USA (of which I am a member). Most of these churches still have beautiful stained glass buildings, hymn singing, choirs and organs, and a very traditional exterior.
However, even though these churches did not change their style, they did change their doctrine.
Most, but not all, mainline Protestant churches very They are theologically liberal and simply adopt the cultural or political views that are always most common on the left. Their preachers are notoriously liberal, their sermons are often political rallies, and their churches often display pride flags.
The current reality is: Only a small portion of Protestant churches are entirely traditional.
Most Protestant churches with traditional beliefs have very modern styles, and most Protestant churches with traditional styles have very modern beliefs. There are also some exceptions. For example, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod denomination is mostly traditional in its beliefs and worship styles.
There are conservatives in all mainline Protestant denominations. Most of the conservative churches that descend from these denominations have a modern style, but there are a few that do not. However, these are the exceptions, not the rule.
Therefore, the only way for Protestants to survive and take advantage of the religious awakening of young people is to make Protestants Protestant again.
People leave Protestantism because they believe that tradition, liturgy, beauty, and sacraments are not found in Protestantism. This is not true, but on the surface it may seem true because so many Protestants have abandoned their religious traditions. Evangelicals, on the other hand, need to abandon the modern trend of non-denominational Christianity and return to traditional Protestant institutions. Evangelicals need to abandon the watered-down pop Christianity of televangelists and celebrity preachers and study the traditional theology of the Reformation.
All of the Protestant Reformers, whether Martin Luther, John Calvin, Heinrich Bullinger, or Thomas Cranmer, valued the sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) very highly. All Protestant confessions (Westminster, Augsburg, Scots, Heidelberg) profess the same apostolic faith as the early church, expressed in the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, and that the sacraments are I agree that it is a means of salvation.
Until about 1960, all American Protestant churches were beautiful masterpieces of carved stone and stained glass built by hardworking American Protestant men. Some of the greatest classical Christian music and hymns were written by Bible-believing Protestants, including Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, and Charles Wesley.
However, most modern Christians, Protestant or not, are unaware of this tradition.
Many people who leave “Protestant” are not actually leaving Protestantism. They are moving away from modern evangelicalism, which hardly reflects Reformation beliefs and values. It is similar to the religion of the Radical Reformation, which mainstream reformers like Luther and Calvin thought was actually worse than Roman Catholicism.
It's good to leave evangelical and nondenominational Christianity, but you don't have to leave Protestantism to do so.
In fact, it is often necessary to leave evangelicalism in order to join genuine Protestantism. The Protestant reformers did not see themselves as breaking away from Catholicism. They considered themselves Western Catholics, but were converted by the Word of God.
Part of the reason American Christians have abandoned traditional Protestantism is because Americans inherently have a rebellious mindset that seeks the next “new” thing. Americans are not satisfied with what is proven, true, and has stood the test of time.
Many young Americans are abandoning their grandparents' mainstream churches as “old” and “stuffy,” choosing instead to plant new churches buzzing with youthful energy. But the result is the death of tradition and long-standing communities.
Because previous generations of American Christians abandoned traditional denominations, worship, architecture, and theology, younger generations have forgotten what traditional Protestantism has to offer. And now they are choosing to leave it.
Mainline Protestantism is an American religion.
Another reason why evangelicals have left the mainstream is because they have become liberal. But notice how liberals never leave conservative organizations. Leftists and Marxists have a hijacking mindset. They are patient, insidiously gaining influence over years with the aim of taking over mainstream institutions, and usually succeed.
Conservatives, on the other hand, have a regressive mindset. They often leave the establishment when they detect the slightest sign of liberal tendencies.
Leftists never build great institutions, but Christians do. The left will just take over them like a virus and turn them into leftist factories. Christians built Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and the great Protestant denominations. The left has turned them into petri dishes for its own ideology, enabled by conservatives who are always on the run.
If conservative Christians are to reclaim their heritage, they need to leave their comfort zone and return to the institutions that the left has taken over. If the left can take over the church, Christians can take it back – unless Christians believe they are weaker than the left for some reason.
There are many ways to make a Protestant a Protestant again.
Replace “praise band” with choir. Replace guitars and drums with hymns and organ. Replace Hillsong with Bach. The new church facility will replace the old historic Main Line church. Replace blue lights and smoke machines with blue stained glass and tall spires. Replace nondenominational churches with institutional denominations. Replace the “altar call” with the ordinary means of grace (word and sacrament). Replace famous pastors with confessions of faith and catechisms.
Mainline Protestantism is an American religion. It is the religion of the majority of US presidents. It is the religion that inspired our founding fathers, and probably many of your ancestors as well.
Let's go back to Grandma's old Main Line church. Since these churches have bleeding members, it will be easier to revive them than ever before.
Fortunately, there is a small but rapidly growing movement of young people trying to do just that. it is called Operation Reconquista. The group advocates for conservative Christians to return to the mainline Protestant denominations that liberals have taken over with the aim of reclaiming them.
All derivatives of mainstream Protestantism abandoned tradition. This is the only way to restore traditional Protestantism.
