Anyone who knows even a little bit about the Bible and the history of Christianity knows that it was the religious leaders of the time, along with their secular allies, that were responsible for the killing of the prophets, the reformers, and even the Son of God himself, Yeshua our Messiah.
The religious leaders. The wolves in sheep’s clothing. The whited sepulchers. The vipers. The religious leaders.
There is no new thing under the sun. Fallen human nature and the rot of man-made religion hasn’t changed since they murdered the prophets, burned the ‘heretics’, and tortured and crucified our Lord.
That is part of the reason why I do not subscribe to a modern denominational creed of set of doctrines. I don’t think that modern day Evangelicals, or Baptists, or Lutherans, or Catholics are going to burn anyone in the town square – it’s just that I don’t trust organized religion.
I’m non-denominational. I’m a ‘Non’. And there are a lot of others just like me, in fact more and more folks are fleeing traditional ‘churchianity’ every day. Why? More on that in future posts.
Here’s my one and only creed, which I’m happy share with my brothers and sisters in The Fellowship of the Nons:
Creed of the Fellowship of the Nons
Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
A huge part of the purpose and reason for the Bible Rebel blog is stated in our mission:
“To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.”
Churchianity and the theological status quo should be scrutinized by all people of faith regularly. That is exactly how we got the Reformation.
Is there a New Reformation brewing? It seems so. There is a difference between truth and tradition.
Man-made Christian creeds and doctrines are no longer being blindly accepted as biblical truth just because the Protestant clergy or the Catholic Papacy say so.
The nature of God, heaven, hell, sin, the apocalypse, predestination or free-will, the Rapture, the origins of the universe – all of these ideas and more need solid reexamination to see if the commonly accepted doctrines of men used to explain them measure up to the message of scripture.
The Bible Rebel blog is a resource for those seeking original and curated content, including news and commentary, covering faith, biblical studies and interpretation, and the intersection of politics, culture, and the Bible.
Our Mission
To monitor current news and events related to faith and culture.
To provide an alternative viewpoint to the world’s pervasive climate of darkness, nihilism, and hopelessness for those seeking truth, light, and purpose.
To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
To present the Biblical truths which reveal God’s nature and purposes and proclaim the lifechanging, world-altering, radical message of Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
At Bible Rebel, this is our one and only creed: Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.
Churchianity and the theological status quo should be scrutinized by all people of faith regularly. That is exactly how we got the Reformation.
Is there a New Reformation brewing? It seems so. There is a difference between truth and tradition.
Man-made Christian creeds and doctrines are no longer being blindly accepted as biblical truth just because the Protestant clergy or the Catholic Papacy say so.
The nature of God, heaven, hell, sin, the apocalypse, predestination or free-will, the Rapture, the origins of the universe – all of these ideas and more need solid reexamination to see if the commonly accepted doctrines of men used to explain them measure up to the message of scripture.
The Bible Rebel blog is a resource for those seeking original and curated content, including news and commentary, covering faith, biblical studies and interpretation, and the intersection of politics, culture, and the Bible.
Our Mission
To monitor current news and events related to faith and culture.
To provide an alternative viewpoint to the world’s pervasive climate of darkness, nihilism, and hopelessness for those seeking truth, light, and purpose.
To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
To present the Biblical truths which reveal God’s nature and purposes and proclaim the lifechanging, world-altering, radical message of Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
At Bible Rebel, this is our one and only creed: Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
So, expect some controversial viewpoints and uncomfortable ideas in some of the coming content from Bible Rebel.
Is traditional denominational church attendance and membership an indicator of the spiritual health of a country or community?
Maybe. But if it is, then America and Western Europe have been are in need of an urgent diagnosis and prognosis, because the patient hasn’t been looking so good in recent years.
According to churchtrac.com, “Church membership and attendance have been on a steady decline in the United States for almost 25 years. A recent (2021) Gallup study discovered U.S. church membership has dipped below 50% for the first time in 80 years.”
In addition, according to a recentPew Research Religious Landscape Study, “The latest RLS, fielded over seven months in 2023-24, finds that 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christians. That is a decline of 9 percentage points since 2014 and a 16-point drop since 2007.”
That study also indicates that study also found that, “…for the last five years, between 2019 and 2024, the Christian share of the adult population has been relatively stable, hovering between 60% and 64%. The 62% figure in the new Religious Landscape Study is smack in the middle of that recent range.”
So, it’s possible that the decline in traditional churchianty’s attendance and membership has leveled off in recent years, but it seems to be only getting worse in Western Europe.
Catholic Membership in Germany Falls Below 20 Million for the First Time
“For the first time in history, the number of Catholics in Germany has dipped below the 20 million mark, according to preliminary figures released by the German Bishops’ Conference in Bonn. As of 2024, the Catholic population now accounts for just 23.7% of the total German population, translating to approximately 19,769,237 members.
This significant decline comes despite a slight decrease in the number of individuals formally leaving the Church. In 2024, 321,611 Catholics exited the institution, a reduction from the previous year’s figure of 402,694.“
Why?
Well, you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, as the saying goes.
Anyone who has been paying attention to such things knows, both statistically and anecdotally, that Americans and Europeans alike have become increasingly skeptical of, and even hostile towards, denominational Christianity.
This doesn’t mean folks aren’t interested in or craving spiritual matters less, it just means that religiosity has lost much of it’s appeal and credibility.
There are a variety of reasons for this exodus from churchianity, but here are some of the reasons I have observed and noted over the years:
Denominational and creedal doctrines are confusing and contradictory, often not even biblical, and fail to provide direct answers to direct questions about God and the Bible.
Clergy and spiritual leadership are often seen as being too focused on raising resources for new buildings, administration, and church functions.
Church and worship services are too often centered on denominational ceremonies and traditions, which are mostly devoid of spiritual power, or on emotional experiences which are short-lived.
Teachings from the pulpit that are either boring and irrelevant or are focused on cultural, political, and social issues rather than on the power of the living God and the literal resurrection and literal apocalyptic return Jesus Christ to judge the world, establish His Kingdom, and bring about the everlasting reign of God.
Bible Rebel’s Creed and Mission
The purpose of the Bible Rebel ministry and blog is to provide an alternative resource and connection point for those seeking something more than stale, powerless religion.
Here is our one and only creed: Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
Bible Rebel is a resource for those seeking original and curated content, including news and commentary, covering faith, biblical studies and interpretation, and the intersection of politics, culture, and the Bible.
Bible Rebel is always looking for interesting, compatible content for our biblerebel.com website/blog. We are accepting writing and video submissions for review and possible publication on our platform.
If you have a teaching series, opinion piece, research piece or other content that fits with the Bible Rebel mission we’d like to see it!
If your content fits our mission and creed, included below, then email it to us at info@biblerebel.com. Written pieces should be no more than 500 words and video content no longer than 7 minutes – either can be submitted as part of a longer series for consideration.
Our Mission
To monitor current news and events related to faith and culture.
To provide an alternative viewpoint to the world’s pervasive climate of darkness, nihilism, and hopelessness for those seeking truth, light, and purpose.
To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.
To present the Biblical truths which reveal God’s nature and purposes and proclaim the lifechanging, world-altering, radical message of Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior.
Creed of the Fellowship of the Nons Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
It’s been pretty widely reported for some time now that Christian church attendance in America is on the decline while more and more folks are identifying as non-denominational or non-religious.
Here are a few links with some interesting information and insight on this topic:
From Gallup, March 2024: The decline in formal church membership has largely been driven by younger generations of Americans. Slightly more than one-third of U.S. young adults have no religious affiliation. Further, many young adults who do identify with a religion do not belong to a church. But even older adults who have a religious preference are less likely to belong to a church today than in the past. https://news.gallup.com/poll/358364/religious-americans.aspx
There’s a lot of speculation and research as to why Americans are becoming more disillusioned with traditional Christianity, but I think the core reason is simple: too many of the answers provided by churchianity to normal people’s questions about God, the Bible, and our purpose are unsatisfactory.
A reminder on this second day of 2025 that the Bible Rebel Project, which includes the biblerebel.com blog, is non-denominational. We are ‘Nons’, believing a simple creed:
Creed of the Fellowship of the Nons
Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will. Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
A huge part of the purpose and reason for the Bible Rebel blog is stated in our mission:
“To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.”
This isn’t a church and there is no membership requirement or set of rules. All are welcome to be a part of this fellowship, this ‘curious fearless faith’, and this ongoing project of seeking and glorifying God and God only.
