Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity [Hardcover]

Dave Shiflett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2005

Why, in this age of moral relativism, are millions of people eager to adopt tougher and more traditional religious practices? Why are they fleeing denominations that focus on social justice rather than dogma, such as the Unitarians and Episcopalians? Why are they joining conservative churches like the Southern Baptists in record numbers?

Many articles have been written about the decline of mainstream Protestantism— especially since the Episcopal Church confirmed an openly gay bishop, sparking a fierce debate among its own members. But no author has gone behind the scenes to interview the Americans, liberal and conservative, who are at the heart of this important shift.

Journalist Dave Shiflett reveals why liberal pastors have cast aside tradition and Christian belief as they remake their churches. He shows why there are so many refugees from the mainline denominations into Roman Catholic, evangelical, and Orthodox churches.

Exodus undermines several stereotypes about conservative believers, who are better educated, wealthier, and more worldly than we assume. Many of those who flock to conservative churches don’t agree with all of their new churches’ teachings on issues like abortion and divorce. They don’t all believe that every word of the Bible is true. Yet they’re tired of being told that nearly anything goes. They hunger for the traditional Christian message of hope.

This is a fascinating book that will shatter many myths about the “religious right.”

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dave Shiflett gives us a book that is essentially a marketing research project on modern Christianity. The focus? Why are the conservative, orthodox brands of faith increasing market-share while mainline Protestant denominations are losing it? Shiflett uses personal interviews as his research tool. And there is undoubtedly a vicarious thrill as Shiflett presents hard questions to figures from both camps. For example on homosexuality, he asks the liberals whether they "…entertain the slightest worry that converting a former sin into a celebrated and even consecrated virtue might possibly have eternal consequences?" And to the conservatives, "If God is indeed omniscient and omnipresent, why [does] He allow disaster to occur, especially to those who have so closely cast their lot with him?" The answers Shiflett receives from his subjects measure out in words the true distance between the liberal and conservative positions.

Shiflett shows us that the progressive's journey starts by questioning literal Biblical interpretation. The liberal position observes that perhaps we should use the wisdom God gave us when seeking to understand and live by a Book that advises stoning for unruly children. Taking various Biblical passages like these without a grain of salt could leave us running short of rocks. In contrast, the conservative's dogmatic adherence to the same Book begins and ends with the nature and strength of faith itself. The sure belief that no matter the event, it can somehow be understood as the mysterious working of an omnipotent Creator. So the tragic events at Columbine for example (discussed in detail in the book) are not solely an indication we live in a world where people can choose to do very bad things. Instead, they are seen as evidence in the physical world of a spiritual warfare happening between God and the devil, where the eternal souls of us all are the territory in dispute. Looking at a tragedy like Columbine with these eyes reveals that "…God has a plan, and his plan is to turn evil into good."

Shiflett makes no pretense of editorial objectivity. His own views as to which group of religious leaders should perhaps worry about the exact nature of their eternal reward, and which ones will be welcomed by a majestic, sometimes foreboding God into heaven, are quite obvious. But he still gives a fair shake to subjects on both sides of the divide, presenting his questions, and recording the hopes, fears and faith he finds in the answers. And like any good marketing analysis, Exodus looks beyond the numbers and comes to some clear conclusions, one of which being that the power of orthodox Christian faith lies in its clear hope and steady assurance of what lies beyond death’s door.--Ed Dobeas

From Publishers Weekly

In this readable work of partisan reportage, conservative journalist Shiflett visits all the usual suspects in the denominational culture wars, with a few of his relatives and friends thrown in. His engaging accounts of interviews with figures like Chuck Colson, Southern Baptist Richard Land and Orthodox writer Frederica Mathewes-Green succeed in dispelling the idea that traditional Christians "have 'retreated' into orthodox belief as a way of escaping the vicissitudes of modern life." The beliefs they embrace are intellectually rigorous and ethically demanding, hardly the stuff of retreat. Shiflett even allows a bit of nuance in his treatment of liberal Episcopal priests, giving a sympathetic hearing to a priest whose affirmation of gay sexuality coexists with her unflinching faith in the Resurrection. But Shiflett indulges all too often in dubious hyperbole ("Whenever they glance at a car bumper," conservative Christians "see one of those Darwin footed fish") and curious extrapolations (the chapter on evangelicals is almost entirely taken up with a narrative of the religious response to Columbine). He misidentifies a key figure in the Episcopalian/Anglican split and bungles the names of public figures, like Princeton philosopher Peter (not Paul) Singer and San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom (not Mark Newsome). In the end, Shiflett's strong writing and basically generous spirit cannot overcome these deficiencies, and this book will do little more than confirm well-worn prejudices on all sides. (June 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sentinel HC (June 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595230076
• ISBN-13: 978-1595230072
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Does Real Faith Look Like?, June 21, 2005

By 

Henry Flood (Aventura, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity (Hardcover)

The Nineteenth Century philosopher Renan once said that "no one has a faith until they have lost it". There is enormous truth in this pithy paradox and Dave Shiflett explains why in Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity.

Others have chronicled the decline of liberal Christianity compared to the rapid growth of conservative Christianity. Dean M. Kelly's Why Conservative Churches Are Growing (1986) noted the obvious nearly 20 years ago to the consternation of the secular media elite. Then there was Thomas C. Reeve's The Empty Church: Does Organized Religion Matter Anymore? (1996) Reeve, a professional sociologist validated anew the problem with fresh empirical and normative evidence.

Most of us are not scholars who take easily to reading technical studies even when they are pitched to a lay audience. But we do readily understand what is explained in a personal way. Mr. Shiflett was not the first to provide us with an experiental picture of Conservative Christians. Colleen Carroll is but one of many to note the worship lifestyle of conservative Christians in The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy (2002).

What is noteworthy about Exodus is that Shiflett interviews notable persons from the Mainline churches (Episcopal, Methodist and Unitarian), leaders from Conservative churches (Catholic, Orthodox and Baptist) and others who fled the old mainline protestant churches for one or more varities of orthodoxy.

You will learn many things. Traditional Christianity celebrates a God who is really there and active. By contrast, a 30% God or God lite demands little and does little when he is needed.

Imagine for a moment being in a seminary only to discover that you are the only one who believes in God. What does one say to an ordained minister who denies the solace of an afterlife to a dying patient? What is one to think when heretics become heroes and advocates of orthodoxy are derided? This is the ultimate dead end of Liberal Christianity and its anemic God.

You'll learn that vibrant Christians are hardly like what is portrayed in the New York Times and elsewhere. Orthodox Christians are surprisingly diverse, informed, educated and certain about what their purpose is.

As you read the interviews with Mainliners, Orthodox leaders and newly arrived refugees to the shores of orthodoxy, one reason alone explains the exodus: Authenticity. God is God. Truth is real and knowable. His message is his message. God lite is not real. Those profiled here--especially the refugees--understand what authentic faith means.

As one compares and contrasts the thoughts of each group profiled by Mr. Shiflett the conclusions become obvious.

A real faith calls us to account and asks us to be distinctively different. The tragedy of mainline Christianity is that it surrendered its patrimony to the culture. It simply lost its salty savor and has become a spent force.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contains some very good insights, June 20, 2005

By 

Anastacia (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity (Hardcover)

I found Shiflett did a very good job explaining why liberal Christian denominations are losing their hold in America. And, contrary to what an earlier reviewer said, they are losing ground - fast. It is untrue that Shiflett used decades-old data to come to his conclusion. Right in the introduction, he quotes from the 2000 "Religious Congregations and Membership" study conducted by the Glenmary Research Center (the study in conducted every decade.) Here's a few of the numbers. The Presbyterian Church USA declined by 11.6 percent during the '90's; the traditionalist Presbyterian Church in America grew by 42.4 percent. The Evangelical Free Church was up by 57.2 percent, while the United Churches of Christ saw membership decline by 14.8, the Episcopal Church lost 5.3 percent and the United Methodists were down by 6.7 percent. Shiflett quotes the NY Times (and what liberal can doubt the Holy Writ of the NY Times?) as saying that "socially conservative churches that demand high commitment from their members grew faster than other religious denominations in the last decade."

So the facts are not in doubt. As a cradle Catholic who has returned to Mother Church after wasting a lot of time among the the Unitarians and Episcopalians, I can personally attest to the fact that there are more than a few refugees from what C.S. Lewis called the "Christianity-and-water" denominations.

Shiflett explained quite well what draws people to the traditionalist faiths is not a desire for "easy answers." In fact, easy answers are the specialty of the liberal denominations. "Be nice, help save the rainforest (or whatever the trendy cause du joir is)and don't bother about dogma or theology or sexual morals - God loves you just the way you are!" In contrast, those who try to live their lives according to traditionalist religion have a harder road to follow - a road that includes facing the disdain and ridicule of the secular world.

Although the conversion of Charles Colson and the interview with high-profile priest Fr. John McCloskey make for fascinating reading, I too wish Shiflett had included a few more interviews with ordinary refugees from mainline Protestantism. And the chapter on evangelicalism was a moving account of witnesses to and victims of the Columbine shootings, but I wanted to know more about evangelicalism itself.

In fact, I wanted the book to be longer - which is why I'm only giving it 4 stars! However, I recognize that Shiflett's intention was not to write a scholarly thesis, but a quick overview of religion in America, circa 2005, which is why I am not troubled by the lack of footnotes.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An okay effort, but nothing new here, June 10, 2005

By 

Craig (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity (Hardcover)

Using interviews with numerous church and public leaders, as well as church members, Shiflett attempts to find out why the country has been moving in recent years towards a much more conservative Christianity than we'd known in the past. These interviews are very telling, and it's a great way to get a more "first-person" perspective. When Shiflett injects his view, his opinions are obviously biased (although, to his credit, he doesn't try to pretend towards objectivity), so the interview format works well in balancing the book.

No church really comes off badly in this work, and the Baptists are the ones who are most surprising, coming off very well, especially given the portrayal the more left-leaning media often gives of them.

My biggest complaint about the book is that there's really no new ground broken. Shiflett makes his points well, but this is stuff we've all heard before. A more minor complaint would be the fact that, as the PW review mentions, there are some poor editing errors in the book - not just words, but getting names of people wrong. Really, this is something that should have been caught.

While Shiflett makes his points clearly, it's unlikely that this books is likely to change many minds one way or the other. Your existing religious beliefs are likely to be the greatest influencing factor in how you feel about this book. As a middle-of-the-road type, I think he's done a pretty good job of getting a handle on a tough subject.