Denominationalism Examine Some of the Underlying Causes

Denominationalism

Examine some of the underlying causes of denominationalism in the U.S., including ethnicity, social class, and regional factors.

Denominationalism is the process by which human beings have separated themselves while still under the umbrella of a common religion. Throughout the world, there are a plethora of denominations of Christianity including Catholicism, Baptism, Methodism, Lutheranism, and a host of other groups all of whom consider themselves to be following the true Christianity. Each of the various denominations appeals to a certain percentage of the population. In the United States, none of the various denominations holds the position of being the majority or "one true" church (Stam). In other countries around the world there is traditionally one sect who has the majority of the population and it is implicitly understood that the other religious views are somehow inferior because of this majority. This does not hold true in the United States. This may have something to do with the mythology of the American Dream and the individual choices which are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

One pattern that does become visible in the U.S. is that certain denominations seem to have prevalence in certain communities. For example, in the American South a large percentage of the population practices Baptism. Within a relatively small region, there will perhaps be more members of a certain denomination than other forms of Christianity. This would likely have to do with grouping of individuals of the same interests. Majority religion of the area may be one of the determining factors in why a certain family chooses to move to a certain location. Another reason behind this pattern has been linked to familial heritage (Willis 787). More often than not, when a person is born into an area of the country, they will likely remain there when they grow and have their own families, thus their family line will continue to be a part of the religious group in which it was raised. Finally, social class has a lot to do with the location in which a person lives and the familial dynamic of their household, both of which would contribute to the continued presence of the population in the worship of a given denomination. It is rare that someone raised in one denomination will choose another once they reach adulthood.

2. Why are mainstream denominations declining and megachurches rising? Will mainstream denominationalism disappear?

The rise of the megachurch is a relatively new phenomenon. Instead of the fairly small country church with room for maybe one hundred parishioners or so, large arena-size churches are being built which seat thousands of Christians (Lampman). Part of the reason, say some theology experts, has to do with the specific message that parishioners can hear when they attend a megachurch instead of a smaller place of worship. Often, these places are more inclusive racially and ethnically but less so from a religious perspective. The churches increase in size by appealing to larger and larger Christian audiences, which necessitates more funds from those worshippers to both increase the size of the building and the amount of programs that the church can sponsor. Many of the larger megachurches allow for podcasts and have televisions and wide screens for those up in the back to see and hear everything. In essence, the megachurch is turning the Sunday sermon from a moment of peace and reflecting into an event to be experienced. By utilizing the technologies, the megachurch appeals to young people who are harder and harder to reach thanks in part to the preponderance of technology nowadays. Small, simple churches with a mission statement and denomination simply seem less interesting to those with already limited attention spans. A streamlined message portrayed in a fancier package is what many Americans are looking for and that is why these megachurches are becoming so successful.