Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

An article that was sent to me recently shared that our religious environment continues to shift and that the "seekers" in the world are in quick decline (Where Have All the Seekers Gone?)  The basic premise is that while ten or more years ago it was common for many to be looking for the right church fit, theology, feel, mission, etc., today the number of those not in a church but looking to find some sort of fit or spiritual practice is shrinking.  In other words, the article is saying that those who aren't currently settled are no longer even hoping to be.  Generally speaking, the article argues that the world has drastically slowed it's propensity to seek and question.

I'm not so easily convinced that the cowboys (or seekers) have left the room. I find it hard to fathom that all of the world's hurts, confusion, reasons for suffering, and mysteries have been solved--that we now have all the answers.  I also find it hard to fathom that the world has grown less curious, less hungry for answers, reasons, and explanations.  In fact, I'm pretty certain that in a world that is now absolutely full of easily accessible information that the old adage holds even more truth:  the more we find out, the more we find out  we don't know.  The more we see, hear, witness, watch on youtube, and read on facebook, the more insecure we feel about why it's all happening.

So, if the world isn't done seeking and the cowboys are still roaming the plains, then how do we understand the continuing growth of our population that has no church or religious affinity and also has no desire to find one either?

I'm not a cultural analyst or anthropological scientist, but what I see is that there are more groups and people providing answers.  With access to youtube, facebook, twitter, etc., and the lowered costs and heightened ease of publishing works, it's easier than ever to express one's beliefs, to organize movements, and to share information.  There are other contributing factors as well, but these are significant.

In closing, I am confident that the seekers are still seeking; we're all still seeking.  We won't call ourselves that anymore, because that is so last decade.  But the bottom line is that those of us who find our faith in a mysterious God simply need to keep sharing about where we find our hope and our assurance.  Here's to today!

More to come!

Jason <><