To what extent have recent developments in the Christian church changed denominational importance?

Religion & Theology
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Religion & Theology
Introduction
The current denominations in modern-day Christianity are different from what was there several decades or centuries ago. In essence, the world's most renowned denominations, the Catholic Church and the mainline Protestant Churches are not what they used to be in the past years. According to Edwards (2017), the religious landscape, especially among Christianity perspectives in the United States (U.S.) and other parts of the world, has continued to change at a rapid clip. Christians have shifted from traditional denominations in terms of activities or membership due to various factors and developments. These developments have led to new concepts in terms of some Christians aligning to certain denominations or conduct themselves or beliefs on how a Christian should live their daily lives. In this sense, there are various ways to denominational importance due to developments in the Christian Church in recent years.
How Recent Developments in the Christian Church Have Changed Denominational Importance
Both Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church have witnessed significant changes in modern-day Christianity. In the past decades, the importance and impact of the Church on society were substantial. Its role and influence on people and governments could not be ignored. The Christian fraternity was adamant about following all the rules and regulations set by their denominations. There were activities in which Christians had to undertake or avoid for them to be identified as Catholic or Protestant. For many years, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, and kindred denominations were characterized by increased membership every year. Stuart (2017) states that as recently as the 1950s, these denominations had a high growth rate given the number of Christians who believed in their ideologies and teachings. Nevertheless, several years late, towards the late 1960s, most of the denominations began losing their members (Stuart, 2017). That trend has continued even today, with most denominations having decreased members and followers and their influence in society going down each day. As a result, there are many factors and developments in the Christian Church, leading to decreased denominational importance.
There are many theories which have advanced to explain why the traditional denominations have faced hard times. One of the factors that have led to less significance in denominational importance is the Church's continued division. Unlike in the past decades or centuries, whereby Christians belonged to the Catholic Church or mainline Protestant Churches, modern-day Christianity is characterized by so many churches with various affiliations. In recent years, it has become common for Christians to abandon the traditional denominations and join the ones established recently. Most Christians are no longer loyal to denominations and can, at any time, move from one Church to another (Vaidyanathan, 2011). People have become liberal and are unwilling to be tied to specific affiliations. In the past, most Christians were affiliated to certain denominations and remained members during their entire Christianity lives. They were willing to follow all the traditions of their denomination without fail or objection. The availability of new denominations has given Christians the freedom to hop and move from one Church to another. Such concepts can be attributed to the idea that religious freedom gives Christians the right to break away from established religious organizations/denominations. In recent years, this development of new churches has led to the significance of traditional denominations decreasing.
The current modern society is characterized by many liberals who believe in self-will, personal rights, and freedom. Many Christians have also adapted this mentality in most aspects of their lives, including religion. Most of them believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They also engage in religious activities such as praying, reading the Bible, and even fasting. Nevertheless, modern Christians have objected that their religious lives should follow specific guidelines outlined by their denominations. The contemporary Church is filled with individuals who believe that God should be worshipped in a certain way. They are against the idea that Christianity should be practiced collectively, as illustrated by Christian denominations' actions and activities. There has been an increased prevalence of Christians who believe that religion should mainly be practiced individually. Each human being is personally answerable to God (Stuart, 2017). Church members have adopted the concept, and the religious leaders are mandated to guide their followers. The current modern-day Church is characterized by religious leaders who are willing to speak or act against their traditions.
For example, for the Catholic Church, their followers need to be ready to fast, observe the Sabbath, and follow Easter tradition. It is a requirement by their denomination. The Catholic priests and nuns have to observe all the celibacy requirements during their daily lives...