First Things Podcast The Return of the Mainline? (ft. Brad East)
Apr 16, 2026
Brad East, Christian scholar and writer who analyzes religious trends, discusses Ryan Burge’s portrait of mainline Protestant decline. They explore mid-century church roles in social cohesion, clergy-driven theological shifts, politicized pulpits, class and family patterns shaping attendance, and signs of renewed religious interest among some young people.
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Mainline Mixing Masked Leadership Shifts
- Ryan Burge frames midcentury mainline Protestant churches as a social middle that mixed classes, parties, and levels of belief.
- Brad East argues Burge ignores how mainline clergy reshaped doctrine and culture from the 1960s–70s, accelerating institutional decline.
Christendom Made Mainline Influence Possible
- The postwar mainline functioned as an unofficial American Christendom with broad cultural authority.
- That ambient Christian consensus supported clergy influence that cannot be simply restored by asking churches to moderate.
Don't Trade Gospel For Political Relevance
- Churches risk long-term irrelevance when they reduce the gospel to political causes for short-term influence.
- East agrees Burge warns conservative pastors against politicizing sermons but stresses the pastor's primary mission remains theological, not civic.
