Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 6, 1994 TAG: 9408090071
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By J. MICHAEL PARKER SAN ANTONIO (TEXAS) EXPRESS NEWS
DATELINE: SAN ANTONIO LENGTH: Long
The Gallup Poll found that 69 percent of Americans believe religion is losing influence. However, 59 percent said religion is important to them personally, and 64 percent said it can solve all or some of today's problems.
``The number of people saying religion is important to them tends to remain quite high, while the numbers on influence in society are quite volatile and cyclical,'' Gallup said.
He said the perception of low influence is fed by headlines and negative news about religious figures. ``Many social and religious observers have decried the sagging level of ethical and moral values, and that's bound to influence perceptions, too,'' he said.
Scholars interviewed by the San Antonio Express-News attributed that perception to various factors, ranging from churches assimilating into a consumer culture to religious leaders who make inflammatory statements that turn people off.
Mark Toulouse, associate dean and professor of the history of religion at Texas Christian University's Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, said religion never had as much real influence as some Americans claim.
``In 1957, when most Americans thought the influence of religion was increasing, church membership was rising and people felt good about religion. ... But a lot of that piety was confined to Sundays,'' Toulouse said.
``White, middle-class Protestants took their religious experience for granted because it was the norm. Then, in the 1960s and '70s, religious pluralism hit home, ... and the Supreme Court took prayer and Bible reading out of public schools,'' he added.
Toulouse said that while middle-class Protestants began to complain that religion had lost its influence, it actually was their particular form of religion that had lost influence while other forms were gaining influence.
He said some denominations have largely emptied their public statements of theological content to appeal to a broader secular audience.
``They come off sounding very secular, even though they've reached their positions from theological roots,'' Toulouse said.
``Martin Luther King Jr. didn't avoid theological language. He said his commitment to God had led him to his position, but he articulated it so that even people who didn't believe in God could accept his conclusions about equality,'' Toulouse said.
But he also said many people have a ``consumer mentality'' when choosing a church.
``More and more people are choosing churches the same way they choose supermarkets. Their attitude is, `I'm going to put money into this church. How can it serve me?'
``They want a one-stop shopping center, and Christian growth experts tell churches that want to grow to become just that. They say, `Find out what people want and be that,''' Toulouse said.
But he said churches - both evangelical and mainline - that have become too much like the prevailing culture have lost their prophetic voice.
``A 1990 survey said 89 percent of the nation's 500 fastest-growing churches were evangelical churches, but a lot of them have bought into the consumeristic mentality, too.''
Martin Marty, professor of church history at the University of Chicago, said religion is heavily involved - and often heeded - in public debates. But, he said, ``Religious institutions from the top down don't automatically win respect, hold loyalty or command authority anymore. Once upon a time, if the pope or a bishop said something, it was automatically accepted. Today, people pick and choose a lot more,'' he said.
``Some people want churches to throw their weight around more on this issue or that issue, but churches are so divided that it's hard for them to do that,'' Marty said.
Marty said people are being deceived if they think religion ever had as much influence as some evangelicals claim.
``We hear so often that America used to be a Christian nation, as if we all had our act together, everybody agreed with each other, we were all moral and so on.
``Many good things happened in the past, but people romanticize the picture. America has always been full of conflict,'' he said.
Peter French, professor of philosophy and humanities at Trinity University, said many deeply religious people feel alienated from a society that seems to be out of control and believe the values they hold dear are considered irrelevant.
He said many Americans believe that the constitutional requirement that church and state be separate disqualifies religious leaders from entering public debate.
``It's ridiculous that people wouldn't want to hear from leaders who have thoughtful ideas,'' French said.
He said American society is poorly educated on many issues and should welcome the perspective of religious leaders of all faiths.
But religious leaders have an obligation to be responsible and careful in what they say, French said. ``They should avoid hellfire-and-brimstone statements that turn people off.''
He said some religious right leaders claimed the 1993 murder of a Florida abortion doctor was justified.
``That sort of statement discourages people from taking any religious leader seriously. It destroys credibility, and it's offensive even to people who oppose abortion, '' French said.
by CNB