In Praise of Mainline Christianity:
One Size Doesn’t Necessarily Fit All

From a letter to the editor in today’s Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) by the Rev. Stan Purdum of North Canton, Ohio:

… Many of us are mainliners because the way Christianity is expressed in the mainline church is a better fit for our personalities, our sensibilities, our understandings and our experiences of life.

Thus, we find deep meaning in mainline Protestantism because it addresses us through those personal channels where we are most naturally receptive.

Because of the diversity in humankind, mainline presentations of the faith do not connect with everyone. Some Christians are therefore more at home in evangelical churches, and the mainline church may not be winning "the struggle for members," as Mr. Wilson puts it, but that hardly makes mainline religion devoid of deep meaning among the many with whom it does resonate.

In fact, the distinctive aspects of mainline Christianity make it the only feasible Christian home for many of us.

• We value an understanding of faith that while solidly based in the Bible, does not see the scripture as God’s final word on every subject, but as a foundation from which to process new information.
• We appreciate an understanding of faith that focuses on matters of justice for all.
• We are helped by an understanding of faith that recognizes the complexities of existence, that is comfortable with not having all the answers and does not feel it necessary to defend God against all comers.

These things make it possible for many of us to have a personal experience of faith, to trust God and to follow Jesus. And that’s about as deeply meaningful as it can get.

(Bullet formatting added.)  A Google search indicates that the Rev. Mr. Purdum is pastor of the Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio, and is also a free-lance author.