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When it comes to church on a Sunday morning, it’s not like it used to be in the 1950s. Back then, it was a cultural assumption that you went to church. Christianity held cultural sway in such a way that it made Christianity normative. If you weren’t a Christian, then you were already on the outside of what it meant to be an American. If you weren’t a Christian, then something was wrong with you. That’s a generalization, sure, but I don’t think it’s an unfair one. Let me say, at the outset, that I don’t think Christianity should have this kind of cultural power. I’m merely making an observation about the past.

So much has happened in our nation’s history over the last 70 years that a rapid change in religious practices shouldn’t surprise us. In the West, which includes the USA, Christianity has lost its place of cultural power. Church attendance across all denominations and traditions is declining, and, according to a recent Pew Report, the number of people who say religion is important in their lives is rapidly shrinking. We aren’t just talking about Christianity in particular. We’re talking about religion as a whole. Seismic shifts in how we construct meaning in our lives mean that religion no longer holds pride of place in these conversations. This is what it means to live in a post-modern society. We are also becoming a post-Christian society. We may even be becoming a post-religion society.

Many in church leadership are afraid of these changes. I’m not. As a Christian priest, I have two choices before me in how I can respond to the world’s changes. I can either lament them and pretend that everybody outside of the Church is wrong, or I can embrace the changes and look for new opportunities to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant and meaningful to those outside. I see these cultural shifts as opportunities to do new things and to do old things differently. I see this moment in time as an opportunity to engage with the world in conversation so that, as a priest and pastor, I can better learn how to serve you, the Washington community as a whole.

So, in the spirit of difference, I’d like to try something new. If you were once religious and have walked away from your faith, I’d love to hear your story. I’m not interested in converting you or trying to get you to come to my church. You’d be welcomed, for sure, but that’s not the point. I just want to learn your stories so that I can be the best Christian I can be for Washington. There’s a phrase we use in the Church: “For the life of the world.” It’s part of the belief that what we do is for the life and well-being of the world. It’s for the world’s health and joy. There’s so much out there giving Christianity a bad name. So much has been done that maligns the welcoming and restoring love of Jesus of Nazareth. My email is chris@saintpetersnc.org and my phone number is 252-946-8151. If you are willing to share your story, I’d love to listen.

Chris Adams is the Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Washington.