February 29, 2008
American Religion as a Spiritual Shopping Center
by Eric Gorski
The Associated Press
If American religion is a spiritual shopping center, denominations that once dominated the market are in danger of being boarded up.
A major survey of 35,000 Americans released this week by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life confirms the long-held belief that denominational loyalty is fraying -- and those with much at stake include both mainline Protestant and evangelical churches.
Yet to some observers, woven into the gloomy numbers is a roadmap for survival if not success if denominations get more nimble and creative while not compromising core beliefs.
Sociologists point to many factors in the erosion of denominational loyalty, including a transient population less anchored to one city or job and the rise of individualized faith, including people who borrow from many traditions.
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