“Our lost sons and daughters”

I care a great deal about you who have walked away from church, no matter how old you are. But mostly, I obsess over the loss of the young. More than half of young people in their teens and twenties have quit on church. I con’t know if we can get you back, but I want to be someone who tries.

I expect the Bible is a major problem for you. It is for me too. I have great affection for this book, but I’ve come to realize that the Bible is just that, a book. It is not alive. It is not God. It is a tool to be used in our attempt to live better lives.

I also know that the tone of the church, the hypocrisy and close mindedness that you have experienced, is driving you away. I’m sorry that’s happened to you. That’s not the whole church, nor does it represent everyone who makes up the church. But the rest of us have been silent for too long. We’ve allowed the voices of those who are so easily made uncomfortable by your concerns, questions, and doubts to carry far too much weight. Again, I’m sorry.

I invite those who feel like me, parents and grandparents who are watching their young walk away from church, to join me in my desire to reach “our lost sons and daughters.”

It’s not too late.