Don’t Mourn the Decline of Churches that Preach a False Gospel

In a May 28, 2024 article for Mere Orthodoxy, Matthew Loftus mourned the precipitous decline in church attendance among historic mainline denominations (read historically modernist denominations). Church attendance for mainline denominations has now dropped to 9% of the population. For the sake of clarity, historically mainline churches while not all theologically liberal, aligned themselves with theological liberal denominations—denying the inspiration of scripture, miracles, the blood atonement, the resurrection, and more. They denied the fundamentals of the faith. His explanation for what has happened is that as the culture has moved away from Christian values, the attendees of these churches have just moved on to other priorities in their busy lives.

He understands that some Christian conservatives (read theologically conservative as in evangelical or biblical fundamentalists) might offer an “I told you so.”

While some conservatives may feel the temptation to smugly remark about the results of theological liberalism, that feels about as appropriate as a lecture about the dangers of drug addiction during the funeral of a young person who died of an overdose.

Really? Is it like that? Absolutely not. We should not mourn the decline of ministries that preach a false gospel. Now, understand me. I would never advocate the persecution of those ministries, or the denial of their freedom to worship according to their consciences. Freedom of conscience must be universal to be true freedom.  I am talking about the decline Loftus is speaking about—people just walking away.

First, he argues that while these churches don’t exactly preach the gospel, there is still a better chance someone will find Jesus in church than at home.

These things are not salvation, and it is certainly possible for someone to be warming a pew for 50 years without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But any person is far more likely to find Jesus while nodding off in a pew than watching Netflix in bed. 

His second argument is that these churches, while not necessarily preaching the gospel, do provide moral guidance for living, and money given to charities that helps the poor and needy. The most important loss is the loss of the social “gospel” endeavors of the mainline denominations.

However, even the most milquetoast of nominal churches is still doing good in the world, especially for the poor and vulnerable. We should always be striving to preach the Gospel and push churches to be as faithful as possible, and it’s not surprising that the churches who celebrated other cultural values above faithfulness are the ones in steepest decline. But the Great Dechurching is coming for all of us, and it is going to hurt the most vulnerable among us the most.

It is important to unpack this biblically.

Theological liberalism is a false gospel. False gospels do not help people find the true gospel, they inoculate them to the true gospel. That is why the New Testament so harshly condemns false teachers.

Paul said it. Anyone who preaches any other gospel than the gospel related in scripture should be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). Yes, that is harsh language—but it is biblical and it is harsh for a reason. Christians are commanded to separate from those who promote a false gospel, and in no way aid them in their efforts—even if those efforts involve building hospitals and helping the poor (2 John 10-11). It’s not that helping the poor is wrong—it’s that when it becomes a replacement for the true gospel, it is a damning deception. Theological liberalism creates a false sense of spiritual security.

Theological liberalism will of necessity fall on its face because it lacks the reality of genuine spirituality. It is not real Christianity. Real Christianity is not just a set of values, but a true personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Theological modernists promoted a kinder, gentler Christianity. They replaced the doctrine of sin with the nobility of the human spirit. They replaced an inspired and authoritative Bible with a flawed human creation that is more of a set of divine preferences. They replaced repentance and justification with doing good deeds. They made the damned more comfortable as they sped toward hell while denying the escape route.

Mainline theological corruption has been a huge part of our national problem. The downfall of our present culture finds its roots in the theological corruption of the modernist movement of the early twentieth century and with the compromise of true believers who helped enable it. There is no help for our country or our corrupt world, without a true spiritual awakening and that will not happen without a return to an understanding of the true gospel and a commitment to the biblical fundamentals of the faith.

Mainline churches need an awakening just as Jesus said to the corrupt church at Sardis. They have a reputation for being alive but are dead. Good deeds are not enough to secure true salvation. They should return to the doctrines that characterized the true faith of their forefathers more than 100 years ago. We all must examine ourselves to see whether we are truly in the faith or not.

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished [insufficient] in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Revelation 3:1-4)

Awakenings can happen. It happened twenty years ago in the corrupt Baptist churches of the Chin Hills in Myanmar. Entire congregations returned to the Bible, confessed their sin, and found genuine faith in Christ.

This is no time to be nice. This is no time for man-pleasing decorum. This is the time for the truth.

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