Review: Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing by Julia Duin

Title: Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing
Author: Julia Duin
Publisher: Bondfire Books
Publication Date: Published May 29, 2013 (first published March 22nd 2013)
Edition: Kindle (193 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Religion

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Julia Duin, a Believer and journalist, researched why people who believe in God are leaving the church in record numbers. The extensive interviews she did with people who have left the church are detailed in this book. Reasons given include: corruption abuse by people in power; the church is clueless; church is a time waster; disengaged pastors; movie house evangelism; unhappy congregants; one man rule; inbred leaders; and masks of perfection. There are many other reasons too, including the treatment of women, she explains. She also shares her own personal journey in the church.

As I read, I felt her work to be an honest exploration of the church in the reasons for the decline in church attendance in the United States versus the rest of the world, and there is an updated Afterward at the end of the book which includes updated statistics and further explanation as to why this trend is accelerating.

I have long been interested in this problem, the reasons for it, and possible changes which could stop the exodus. I stopped going to a physical church, some years ago, because I can no longer hear the message, and because I have sensitivities to chemicals and personal care products which trigger severe migraine headaches. I listened to services online, and still do, from time-to-time, but the emergence of the religious right has finished me with organized religion, though my faith is strong and I still believe, as I have since I came to know Jesus over forty years ago. For these reasons, I wanted to read this book to see if my reasons for leaving the church had anything in common with others who have made that very hard and very sad choice. Turns out they do. I am not alone in this. If you have the same concerns or experiences, I encourage you to read this book. Another thing that I found interesting is the number of pastors who have left the church and now choose to worship at home with their families. When I read this, it showed me just how broken the church is in the United States and how intolerant we apparently have become.