Evangelicals often take pride in the fact that they are growing and mainline churches are shrinking. But it is worthwhile keeping in mind that the reasons for expansion or recession are complex. I know many churches that grew because they conformed to the culture and many that shrank because they didn’t.
I’m not saying that describes evangelicals and mainline Protestants respectively. But I am saying that it isn’t obvious that this isn’t at least sometimes the case. So tread carefully with the triumphalism, okay?
