This is a book about the gradual secularization of the US. It focuses on each of the main Christian groups (Evangelical, Mormon, Mainline, Catholic), about their individual foibles and why people leave. For example, it points out that ex-Mainline Christians are rarely very bitter about the Church after leaving (it’s hard to be bitter about vanilla pudding), as compared to the more strident ex-Mormons and Evangelicals. Meanwhile, Catholics are usually somewhere in the middle: some ex-Catholics are PASSIONATELY ex-Catholic, while other ex-Catholics are, ‘You know, it could have been worse. At least the Catholic Church isn’t anti-science.’
This book frequently directly quotes ex-Christians directly, doing long tangents to discuss what life was life before and after leaving the Church. It discusses secularism and atheism in depth, and how the modern internet helps serve as an instigator for change.
Overall, I think this is a good book. I suggest you read it as a pair with ‘The Great DeChurching.‘ That provides more of a broad overview of what’s going on, focusing more on statistics. This book has less statistics, focusing more on giving a voice directly to people who are leaving the Church and letting them speak for themselves. This book was short, only 220pages.
John Mendez- Book Reviews and More 