Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith & Culture

The Great Dechurching (with Ryan Burge)

Nov 23, 2023

Dr. Ryan Burge discusses the concept of 'de-churching' and the decline of church attendance in the United States. He explores the impact of LGBTQ issues on church disengagement and highlights the importance of social spaces and friendships in religion to attract people back in a post-COVID world.

32:10

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Episode guests

Ryan Burge

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The shift away from religion, referred to as 'de-churching', is as large as the combined scale of the first and second great awakenings, indicating a significant decline in church attendance driven by various factors.

'De-churching' and 'the Nones' represent different aspects of religious identity, with 'de-churching' focusing on behavior (church attendance) and 'the Nones' referring to religious belonging, highlighting the complexity of religious engagement.

Deep dives

The Shift Away from Religion

Dr. Ryan Burch discusses the shift away from religion, which he compares to the combined scale of the first and second great awakenings, but in the opposite direction. He refers to this shift as 'de-churaching' and explains that it measures the decline in church attendance. Dr. Burch highlights that this shift is driven by various factors such as changes in life circumstances, including moving or shifts in personal schedules.

Introduction

4min

The Role of Belonging and Behavior in Christian Faith and the Research Behind 'The Reiki Church'

2min

The Decline of Church Attendance in the United States

19min

The Impact of the LGBTQ Conversation on Dchurching

2min

The Importance of Social Spaces and Friendships in Religion

4min

How many people are really leaving the church today? Who are the people leaving and why are they “Dechurching”? According to our guest today, Dr. Ryan Burge, the shift away from religion is as large as the First and 2nd Great Awakenings combined, but in the opposite direction. Dr. Burge explains why this issue is so pressing today and how we can best respond.

Ryan Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. He is the author of numerous books and journal articles and is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2023/the-great-dechurching

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Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.

Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically.
Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video.

To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

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