Gospelbound

Top 10 Theology Stories Since 2000: Part 1


Listen Later

Join Collin Hansen, Michael Graham, and Sarah Zylstra as they look back on the top theology stories from the last 25 years. In part 1 of this two-part series, Graham and Zylstra walk with Hansen through his stories #10 down to #6.

Since the year 2000, religion in America has changed dramatically. As recently as the 1990s, religion in America was what Tim Keller called “thick”: In general, many clergy were held in high esteem, churches were respected, and people either belonged to a congregation or knew that would be a good idea.

Yet since 2000, the percent of religious Americans has dropped and the number of nones (no religion) has jumped up from 8 percent to 22 percent—and climbing.

So while social commentators lament how much time Americans spend on our screens, describe how views on sexuality have drastically changed, identify how our politics have become sharply polarized, and observe how mental health especially in Gen Z has declined, they often miss the biggest story of all, the one underneath all the others—the decline in attention and deference to God.

In This Episode:

00:00 — The Great Dechurching: belief vs. disaffiliation

00:32 — Sarah hosts: why a 30,000-foot view now
03:26 — “Factfulness” and why we overlook positive trends
05:00 — #10: Global church leadership moving south
09:02 — Theological education hasn’t moved south at the same pace
10:03 — #9: Rise of non-denominational congregations
14:49 — Data point: non-denominationalism grows from ~3% (1972) to ~14–15% today
17:27 — Why churches drop denominational labels; media amplification; scandal-by-association
20:00 — #8: China’s church growth—and crackdown
22:07 — India, Hindu nationalism, and persecution; Nigeria and the Africa frontier
25:41 — #7: The Dechurching of America
30:24 — Apologetics after dechurching: from hostility to apathy
34:25 — Are churches fewer but stronger?
36:39 — Retention vs. conversion: why evangelical identity declines less
39:09 — #6: The Great Awokening (Ferguson to Floyd)
47:20 — Four paradigms for navigating race in America
52:44 — Wrap-up: Part 2 teaser
53:10 — Outro + where to find the podcast/newsletter

Resources Mentioned:

  • Factfulness by Hans Rosling
  • The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
  • Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller
  • A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
  • Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson
  • The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby
  • We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi
  • — — —

    📫 SIGN UP for my newsletter, Unseen Things:

    https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/gospelbound

    🎁 Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at https://www.tgc.org/together

    🎧 Don’t miss an episode of Gospelbound with Collin Hansen

    ▫ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gospelbound/id1499898207

    ▫ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kRYr5FTKr5ru1N7MR65Br

    ✅ SUBSCRIBE: 

    ▫ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegospelcoalition

    ▫ TGC Updates: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/newsletters


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    GospelboundBy The Gospel Coalition, Collin Hansen

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    333 ratings


    More shows like Gospelbound

    View all
    Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life by Tim Keller

    Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

    16,071 Listeners

    TGC Podcast by The Gospel Coalition

    TGC Podcast

    1,132 Listeners

    Help Me Teach The Bible by The Gospel Coalition, Nancy Guthrie

    Help Me Teach The Bible

    750 Listeners

    The Russell Moore Show by Christianity Today, Russell Moore

    The Russell Moore Show

    1,136 Listeners

    Word Of The Week by The Gospel Coalition

    Word Of The Week

    77 Listeners

    Mere Fidelity by Mere Fidelity

    Mere Fidelity

    355 Listeners

    CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet by CCEF

    CCEF Podcast: Where Life & Scripture Meet

    302 Listeners

    Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks by 9Marks

    Pastors Talk - A podcast by 9Marks

    720 Listeners

    Knowing Faith by Kyle Worley, JT English, Jen Wilkin

    Knowing Faith

    2,361 Listeners

    The Crossway Podcast by Crossway

    The Crossway Podcast

    636 Listeners

    Read The Bible by The Gospel Coalition

    Read The Bible

    125 Listeners

    TGC Q&A by The Gospel Coalition

    TGC Q&A

    180 Listeners

    Let's Talk by Jackie Hill Perry, Melissa Kruger, Jasmine Holmes

    Let's Talk

    1,123 Listeners

    Life and Books and Everything by Clearly Reformed

    Life and Books and Everything

    642 Listeners

    Trinity Forum Conversations by The Trinity Forum

    Trinity Forum Conversations

    221 Listeners

    You're Not Crazy by Sam Allberry, Ray Ortlund, The Gospel Coalition

    You're Not Crazy

    211 Listeners

    Recorded by The Gospel Coalition

    Recorded

    132 Listeners

    Confronting Christianity with Rebecca McLaughlin by Rebecca McLaughlin

    Confronting Christianity with Rebecca McLaughlin

    321 Listeners

    Glo by The Gospel Coalition

    Glo

    46 Listeners

    Post-Christianity? by The Gospel Coalition

    Post-Christianity?

    80 Listeners

    The Carson Center Podcast by The Gospel Coalition, Don Carson

    The Carson Center Podcast

    53 Listeners

    The Everyday Pastor by Matt Smethurst, Ligon Duncan

    The Everyday Pastor

    87 Listeners

    Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung by Crossway

    Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung

    155 Listeners

    The Deep Dish by The Gospel Coalition

    The Deep Dish

    319 Listeners