Text the Times stirs social media debate in community

Discussion sparks about church attendance after comment on local page

By Ralph Hardin

news@theeveningtimes.com

Anyone who frequents the world of social media, from Facebook to Twitter to even the comments section on YouTube, knows it doesn’t take much to get an online debate going. So it may not surprise you to know that a Text the Times comment (and subsequent editorial response) in the Feb. 5 edition of the Times proved to be fodder for commentary in one of the local Facebook community pages.

“According to the editor of The Evening Times, church attendance has dropped to just 30%.”

That was the comment Taron Jerone Harris posted last week on the”West Memphis, AR & Neighbors” community page, a frequently-visited page where members of West Memphis and neighboring communities often post important information and questions — and also where disenchanted members of the community past and present go to complain.

Whether Harris’s post was intended as a complaint of just the simple passing of information on to those who might not have seen it in the paper, the flow of comments soon began to rack up.

Salem Marie Graham was among the first to chime in.

“Maybe I can shed some light as a person who moved away from church — many people who have done so share my sentiments,” she said.

“Hypocrisy, preaching hate disguised with ideology, not actually loving thy neighbor, church greed, lack of taxation, not separating church from state, an attempt to indoctrinate the youth and insert itself in schools, turning away people for who they love, openly supporting politicians which should 100% be left out of a religious space, and so much more. I am not trying to fight, but to explain why many people have decided to practice at home or to walk away from religion entirely.”

She added, “My reasons for leaving religion go deeper than the mentioned concerns, but my attempt here is not to argue but to try and, hopefully, bridge gaps and educate. If anyone wishes to respond negatively, I just won't respond to you. This is left for people who genuinely want an honest discussion with someone who has a differing view.”

Harris welcomed the commentary.

“Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this matter…. Church is definitely not the safe place we all once thought it was. In fact, over the past decade, I've lost a great deal of passion for it myself. However, I still attend… I simply enjoy being around people and socializing for a little while, but not too long, though.”

He opined, “And hatred is definitely mixed in with it.

You can see, hear it, and feel it oftentimes as soon as you walk in. I miss how it used to be when I was little. Church was actually fun back then.

The music was better. The preaching was better. The energy was better, and the atmosphere was better. All that changed after the 2000s. And politics and religion do not belong in the same space.

Somebody needs to tell those people in Washington that.

And whom one chooses to love and be with should be no one's business but the two of them. The church should never be invited to the bedroom under any circumstances.”

Dede Wilson-Crawford also shared a thought, adding, “That’s because they want to run church like a business and not a place of worship.”

Of course, not all those who chimed in shared such a dismal outlook for the church.

Andy Matthews said, “He’s not coming to Victory Church that place is bursting at the seams.“ LeAnn Gatewood said, “Cross Community church in Marion has three pretty full services and seeing new faces weekly.

Not sure where they are getting the data but we as Christians are suppose to be praying and striving to reach the lost.”

The data, for those who did not see Text the Times on Feb. 5, was that those who reported regularly attending church (once a week) in the U.S. was down to about 30%, an all-

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any circumstances.”

Dede Wilson-Crawford also shared a thought, adding, “That’s because they want to run church like a business and not a place of worship.”

Of course, not all those who chimed in shared such a dismal outlook for the church.

Andy Matthews said, “He’s not coming to Victory Church that place is bursting at the seams.“ LeAnn Gatewood said, “Cross Community church in Marion has three pretty full services and seeing new faces weekly.

Not sure where they are getting the data but we as Christians are suppose to be praying and striving to reach the lost.”

The data, for those who did not see Text the Times on Feb. 5, was that those who reported regularly attending church (once a week) in the U.S. was down to about 30%, an alltime low, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021when many churches were closed over public health concerns. In fact, it was the pandemic that changed church attendance habits for many., as Goerge Odell pointed out.

“Unfortunately, that (the 30%) is close to being correct,” he said. “Online attendance is through the roof…” “Online church is the way of the future,” Harris replied.

Online church did not go away with the pandemic either, as noted by Angelia Sparrow who said, “We had to do virtual services last weekend. Everyone had norovirus.”

So, while many have gone to “virtual church” over the past few years, there are those who say their local churches are thriving.

Some additional comments: Rachel Cardenas said, “Came here to say Victory Church of the Mid-South is seeing a growth! Come visit.”

Daveeda Clayton said, “Churches in Hughes have low attendance because most members have moved out of Hughes. Three Trees Church in Wynne has two Sunday morning services and is full.”

Cheryl Roe said, “Free Life, the Oasis Church, is growing weekly and seeing people saved and ready to get to work for the Lord! We thank God for all He's doing in our midst!”

Debra Fentress said, Not mine. First Missionary Baptist is continuing to grow.” She even gave an address, “434 South 12th, West Memphis.”

It’s worth noting, though, that not everyone sees the decline in church attendance as a bad thing.

Jody Neal posted, “Let's keep those numbers dropping.”

Jessica Le said, “I don’t want to get too engrossed in this topic since it’s quite sensitive, so I will try to address it the best way possible without bitterness or my own personal standpoint lol ?? Salem Marie Graham made some great points above and I’d like to add that so many people have to work during these times and literally cannot afford to miss to go to church. I believe many people still read the Bible and worship privately / listen to sermons through podcasts, and overall do their best to include their personal time with their worshipped god of choice. I also believe that a lot of religious folks can come off as too aggressive / pushy on things and that can scare many people off that might be considering going to a physical church. I’ll spare the lengthy incidents I encountered when I was a wee one back in my religious days, but I’m going to say it was not good and I cried because I was told I’m going to Hell if I don’t ask for forgiveness for all of my sins I’ve ever committed. Keep in mind, I was no older than 14 at the time. I’m not saying all religious people will use fearmongering and scare tactics, but yeah. Just something else to consider.”

Find the full conversation on the West Memphis AR & Neighbors page and follow The Evening Times on Facebook.