The Great Exodus? Why are Christians leaving the faith?

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron …
(1 Timothy 4:1-2)

No one just ditches their religious beliefs and affiliations for no reason. There is always a reason behind every decision. When a person makes a personal decision to turn their back on a belief system, they have known their whole life, people will ask them why? What were their personal reflections, doubts and questionings that led to their departure from the Christian faith?

What do statistics say?

Recent statistics about Religion in, England and Wales: in 2021, show that less than half of the population (46.2 %) in the U.K identify as Christian. 37.2% (22.2 million) of the population describe themselves as having no religion and (3.9 million, 6.5%) identify as Muslim. Since this study was taken 4 years ago, it may be safe to say that the numbers of these statistics have changed again. But why are we seeing this social change in religious identification? and how should a Christian behave in the midst of social religious change?

1 Corinthians 8:5-6, tells us to hold on to our faith in Jesus Christ, despite religious social change.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

As society’s moral compass shifts, so are people’s personal and religious identities being pressurised to change too (Proverbs 23:7, 2 Corinthians 4:4). Could it be that the pressures from social expectations are causing two in five people raised in Christian homes to leave the faith? Or, do you think that the current surge in Christians departing from the faith is down to the fact that believers are refusing to adhere to Romans 12:2?

5 common reasons why people are leaving the Christian faith

People reject Christianity for various reasons, some of these reasons correlate with how a Christian responds to social change and moral choices. These reasons include:

• Personal experiences ( Ephesian 4:32): Have you had a negative experience in church? Well guess what? You are not alone. Many people can recall at least one negative experience with a Christian or the church. Negative church experiences can lead to disappointment, hard heartedness, emotional burn out, and unbelief. Negative church experiences are one of the leading reasons why people leave the Christian faith.

• Cultural and Social change (Romans 12:2): We live in an ever changing society where traditional Christian beliefs are constantly being challenged with new ideologies, terms and faiths. In the face of change, some believer’s may, feel overwhelmed by these newfound social developments and worldly pressures. For this reason, some Christians may review and question the foundation of their faith in Christ, and decide that they no longer believe in God and his holy word.

• Moral and Ethical concerns (Colossians 3:17): There is a lot of controversy concerning the church and their perceived lack of acceptance and inclusivity. Some marginalised communities such as the pro- abortionists and the LBGTQ communities feel judged and excluded by the church. They want the love of God without his correction (Hebrews 12:6). Some Christians feel uncomfortable when the moral choices of others are challenged , corrected or rebuked by the teachings of the Holy bible. For this reason, certain ‘departing’ Christians and unbelievers contest the credibility of the word of God, by throwing shade at the bible’s age old wisdom. They say that the bible is too outdated to effectively address current social issues effectively.

But, what do you think? Do you think Christians are mistreating the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities by abusing scripture? What should a Christians attitude be towards the sexually immoral? ( 1 Corinthians 6:9—10, Romans 1:26-27)

• Intellectual challenge (Proverbs 23:7): Have you ever entertained another voice, another knowledge and another standard of living, other than the one you are familiar with? (Genesis 3:1 ). If your answer is yes to this question, then you may have experienced the perils of being intellectually challenged. Intellectual doubt in this case, arises when a person allows worldly knowledge to infiltrate their perception about their life and their faith. Scientific reasoning, philosophical debates, social norms and standards will contest the word of God and cause a person to choose between depending on the knowledge of God or worldly knowledge. Christians who generally seek answers to spiritual issues from worldly sources, often become frustrated because their questions remain unanswered. Unanswered questions are one reason why some Christians choose to depart from the faith.

• Lacking a foundation on the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16): Christians whose faith is not rooted in the word of God, are guaranteed to waver in their faith. They often struggle to stand up against unbelievers who attack the credibility of the bible. These Christians also fail to heed to the advice in Colossians 2:8, which says: ‘See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.’

If a Christian is not strong in their faith, they may pay attention to deceptive philosophies and human traditions that seek to deconstruct their Christian faith (1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Ephesians 4:11-15; Colossians 2:8; 1 John 4:5-6 )

Finally, stay rooted (Ephesians 3:16-17). There are many lessons we could learn from our knowledge of why Christians leave the faith? But one of the most important lesson we could get from our understanding of this matter, is that believer’s should strive to stay rooted in Jesus Christ (Luke 6:47-49). Rootedness in Jesus Christ is essential for our spiritual development, stability, and prosperity (Colossians 2:5-8) . If a believer decides to establish deep roots in God's love and truth found in the life of Jesus, God will respond to them by equipping them with the knowledge, grace and strengthened faith, they need to be able to navigate social and religious challenges and fulfil their calling in Christ.