Quote:
Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!
Yes, different groups may be loosing members for various reasons. But that also doesn't completely negate that some of the lower LC numbers might be influenced by the larger post-Christian world culture that is so very pervasive now. But granted, the whackadoodle stuff in the LC is perhaps the bigger reason.  |
Although this thought did come to mind when starting this thread, I think I would I would categorize it as two separate issues. Mainly because the LC just doesn't have enough in common with what is going on in other Christian groups or the types of struggles other groups are facing. Or I should say that the LC has an even bigger hurdle to overcome, they have to be able to effectively address people's doubts about Christianity and they also have to get people to drop their concerns about the peculiarities of the LC environment.
When the LC was starting out in the U.S., WL had all kinds of criticism to offer about Christianity, denominations, etc. While some of it may have been based on valid points, the intention was always about using it to position the LC as something better. In more recent times, the LC has started using the same type of criticism to shift the focus away from its own shortcomings. It should be noted though that some of the criticism that WL offered could very well be factors we would point to in the decline of various groups, particularly the traditional mainline denominations. But if the LC had it all figured out, then why didn't people ever see it as a desirable alternative?
One of the things I am trying to get at here with this thread is that Minoru claims 25,000 LC members in the U.S., and that’s a drop in the bucket compared to just about anything else. For example, there are quite a few megachurches in Southern California that have 10,000 members or more. And actually these types of groups are a relatively recent phenomena, so the potential for growth is obviously still there. It’s just not what is happening in the LC.