Adult Forum via Zoom

The religious environment of the United States is changing rapidly and dramatically. Affiliation with religious institutions is declining, dipping below fifty percent. Pollsters discover that a pervasive lack of interest in spirituality is increasing in younger generations. Protestantism is divided along “red state/blue state” lines. Consumerism, self-advancement, and worldly success appear to have become the effective religion of large portions of the population. In this environment of accelerating polarization, secularism, and religious indifference, many of the faithful are worried about the future of the church. We will explore the ways in which new styles of being the church may be necessary to grapple with our shifting cultural context.

The religious environment of the United States is changing rapidly and dramatically. Affiliation with religious institutions is declining, dipping below fifty percent. Pollsters discover that a pervasive lack of interest in spirituality is increasing in younger generations. Protestantism is divided along “red state/blue state” lines. Consumerism, self-advancement, and worldly success appear to have become the effective religion of large portions of the population. In this environment of accelerating polarization, secularism, and religious indifference, many of the faithful are worried about the future of the church. We will explore the ways in which new styles of being the church may be necessary to grapple with our shifting cultural context.

Presenter: Dr. Lee C. Barrett

Lee holds four degrees from Yale University, including a doctorate in Religious Studies, and is a professor of theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary. His research and teaching interests include Reformed theology, religion and culture, the contemporary significance of theological traditions, and religion and the visual arts. He is the author and editor of several books and articles on Søren Kierkegaard, and has been the past president of the international Søren Kierkegaard Society.