>many serious Christians are transient, switching churches and theologies
>again and again to suit their changing needs. With traditional
>institutions fragmenting and many people both hungry for spiritual
>guidance and spending more time at work than ever, it was perhaps
>inevitable that the job site would become a kind of new church. . . .
Are the individuals who "shop" for a church or theology more likely to "defect" from Christianity? I have not read yet any specific data on this but it seems plausible on the face of it. People seem to me to be acting as if by changing churches frequently they are attempting to escape from a cognitive dissonance created by one of the religious associations that they erroneously believe is specific to that church rather than to Christianity or even deism itself. I only just recently began to think of religion as something other than the "sleep of reason" and I am still trying to work out a usable explanation I can share with others in the form of an article. Any recommendations of reference materials someone has used in line with this thinking would be appreciated. Maybe Chip in particular can help me?
John Thornton