The most common argument for religion in modern times is a utilitarian one: People are social animals who need religion and mediating institutions for a happy and healthy social organization. For better or worse, the moral cause and classical arguments for faith have fallen by the wayside, leaving young folks to discover firsthand the effects of a secular world.
From Jordan Peterson’s popular psychology lectures and books, to social scientist Jonathan Haidt’s works unpacking “wisdom literature” and its role in moral foundation, to Bishop Barron’s lengthy apologetics in favor of the church as the lone force of stability in the modern world, young converts are turning to religion in tatters as they seek any semblance of order and sanity in the chaotic modern world.
Rebecca McLaughlin
Enter Rebecca McLaughlin, a prominent nondenominational podcaster and author of Confronting Christianity, whose newest book is a short companion tract to her previous work with the eye-catching title How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life.
Although presented in the form of a brisk 60-page evangelical apologetics tract, the booklet works as an efficient explainer of the effects of the “Great Dechurching” of the past three decades. It outlines the medical and psychological effects of 40 million Americans — roughly 12% of our current population — walking away from their faiths. More importantly, it shines a light on some jaw-dropping statistics on how the world has changed.
Drawing on the research of Harvard Health Professor Tyler VanderWeele and other contemporary studies of religion and health, McLaughlin sets out to prove that “people who attend religious services once a week or more are happier, healthier and longer-lived than those who don’t,” showing the growing rise in mental health crises, substance abuse, despair and spiritual angst can at least be partially pointed at the decline of church attendance.
Among her findings, McLaughlin argues depression rates among adults have skyrocketed from 10% in 2015 to 29% in 2023. And she cites this data point: “Women who never attend religious service are five times more likely to end their own lives than those who attend weekly or more.”
She further cites data that “40% of the rise in suicide rates between 1999 and 2014 may be attributable to declining service attendance,” in addition to a 28% increase in adolescent depression since 1991. Religious attendance also can lower women’s chances of “deaths of despair” by 68%, she says.
McLaughlin is careful to note church attendance decline is not the only statistical factor playing a part in modern society’s issues. The COVID pandemic, smartphone usage, social media, declining marriage rates and increased sexual promiscuity are contributing to serious mental health issues and stress, particularly among young women.
“Many of my neighbors in Cambridge, Mass., think Christianity is bad for women,” she notes. “It turns out going to church each week has a disproportionately positive effect on women when it comes to the risks of drug and alcohol overdose or suicide.”
Although she presents her data as an affirmative case for joining the church, she is sensitive to the reality that the church is a complicated force in America, repeatedly acknowledging that abuse and trauma have hurt thousands of attendees. She also rightly asserts that Christianity isn’t often enough for those in psychological or physical distress, and she distances herself from Christians who anathematize psychiatric or therapeutic assistance as unbiblical.
She also points to data that show worship services in other faiths have a similar effect to Christian attendance, emphasizing that “the religious element seems to be vital.” Religious attendance is just one part of a healthy life, but its absence is having a serious effect.
Admittedly, the back half of the booklet is less interesting than the first half, switching over to more mundane moral arguments that are popular among contemporary apologists and are usually better laid out in a brick like Tom Holland’s Dominion than a 10-page explainer.
McLaughlin’s work is clearly meant to be bought in bulk orders and handed out to anyone who will listen. While I imagine these altar-call-style arguments aren’t going to appeal to certain minds, the fact that I learned something new from the tract’s opening chapters is impressive.
Half of conversion is simply cutting through apathy to stir up deeper questions, and the fact that a soul inside the church is notably healthier than one outside of it is a sign of something deeper.