The Christian Church of 2050 Will Be Even More Conservative
What will global Christianity look like in 2050?
While no one can know for sure, all indicators seem to point in one direction: The global church – Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant – will be even more conservative than it is today.
In the Protestant world, the Daily Citizen has frequently documented this reality. While liberal, progressive mainline denominations are in stark decline, more conservative, evangelical churches are growing at a remarkable rate.
“Nearly all the growth in Christianity in the United States and around the world today is among the more conservative and historically, biblically faithful churches,” we’ve recognized. “It is the liberal, biblically compromising churches that are hemorrhaging members by the millions.”
Glenn T. Stanton, Director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family, has written on this thoroughly in his book The Myth of the Dying Church.
What’s not as well known is that this same phenomenon is occurring within the Catholic Church, too. Younger generations of Catholics, and younger Catholic priests, are far more conservative than their older peers.
As Ryan Burge, a statistician and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has shared, “Among Catholic priests who were ordained prior to 1975, 14% are politically conservative while 61% are politically liberal.”
“Among Catholic priests who were ordained in 2010 or later, 51% are politically conservative and 12% are politically liberal,” Burge wrote.
In fact, essentially zero Catholic priests ordained in 2010 or later identify as “very liberal,” while a very small minority identify as “somewhat liberal.” Young, “very liberal” Catholic priests are effectively extinct. Professor Burge’s graph documents this well:
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Citizen, Matt Haas, who serves as program director for Shepherding Future Shepherds (SFS), a nationwide initiative of the International Institute for Culture that seeks to inspire young Catholic men to consider the priesthood, told us he’s encouraged by the direction the Catholic Church is headed.
“The ones who are becoming priests today are choosing it in the midst of adversity and negativity,” Haas shared. “So, they have very strong convictions and have a very solid foundation and are stalwart in their convictions and to the truth.”
“There’s also been pushback,” he added. “The experiment of making Christianity ‘very liberal’ did not work. I think they’re seeing that. [Those who are] conservative [are going] back to an adherence to the biblical truths and the foundations of what Christ taught in the Bible.”
“I think we’re going to continue to see more of that shift,” he opined.
SFS is bringing attention to the declining number of vocations to the Catholic priesthood, with the number of U.S. priests declining from 58,000 to fewer than 35,000 today. To counter this decline, SFS seeks to challenge young men to aim higher and choose a life of service to others – whether through marriage, the priesthood or celibacy.
As the Daily Citizen has previously reported, a large proportion of young men today are struggling to find meaning and purpose in their lives, with a stunning one-in-eight young men (12%) watching pornography, gambling and playing video games daily.
“Young men who are discovering the faith and conviction are saying, ‘Now I’m finding meaning, purpose and healing,’” Haas said. “They’re finding that in the Christian faith, because they can’t get that anywhere else.”
Haas also hopes SFS will have a positive influence among young men of all faith persuasions and inspire them to aim higher and become men worthy of respect and honor. They do this, in part, by highlighting examples of faithful pastors doing good work today.
In fact, October is Clergy Appreciation Month, an opportune time for Christians from all different streams of the faith to recognize the hard work of their pastors and thank them for all they do. Haas encouraged Catholics to visit International Institute for Culture’s program’s website, ThankAPriest.com.
Haas encouraged all Christians to be intentional about recognizing their pastors through small, simple, but sincere gestures to encourage and thank them for their ministry.
“Part of what we can do is just literally thank them,” Haas shared. “Write them a note, a card, get them a meal or a gift card. Those are all some great things.”
He also encouraged Christians to volunteer at their local church if possible.
“A lot of pastors have told us volunteering at the church is one of the biggest ways you can show gratitude for what they’re doing, is by contributing your time,” Haas said. “Then you’re contributing and oftentimes taking the load off them. That can go a really long way.”
“There are a lot of great pastors who are out there doing wonderful, awesome things,” Haas said. “We want to lift them up and show gratitude to them.”
Haas shared that young men can find what they were created for through a lifetime of service to others.
“Young men are disillusioned by all these promises of what the world can provide for them, and it’s very selfish, and it ends up not being fulfilling,” he said.
“It’s the Christian faith that when you embrace it and you live it and you’re serving out for other people; the irony is you’re filled.”
Related articles and resources:
Help and resources to achieve freedom from pornography.
One in Eight Young Men Watch Porn, Gamble and Play Video Games Daily
Religion Increasingly Important to Young Men, Gallup Finds
How Evangelical Conviction Is Standing Strong Against Evil
Is Revival Beginning in America, With Younger Men Leading the Way?
Young Men Are Returning to Church
More Young Adults Turning to Faith After Pandemic, Study Finds
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