When Tradition Becomes Red Tape: The Rise of Non-Denominational Churches

Religious attendance has been on the decline in the past few years. There are many reasons why people have left the faith — they moved to college, members of the church seemed judgemental, they didn’t connect with people, they didn’t agree with political/social issues, and responsibilities get in the way.

I have been through this myself. The church I grew up in was rigid — you couldn’t raise your hand during worship, children were hushed, and people glared at you if you chewed your gum too loudly. The sermons were meandering and boring with no application to real life. I felt like I couldn’t explore life outside of Christianity — no drinking, no wild hair colors, etc. — or others in the congregation would judge me.

But my biggest complaint was during the profession of faith class.

Granted, I didn’t have the best pastor at the time; it was an understatement to say that I hated the profession of faith class. I took it because I wanted to be a member of the church. I knew I was saved, and the next step in that church was a profession of faith.

Have you heard of TULIP? Not the flower, but the five points of Calvinism? Don’t worry; I had to Google it too. TULIP stands for Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Preservation of the saints. It’s what some denominations use to say what they believe, and that’s what we learned in our profession of faith class. Nothing against…