Dave Shiflett's latest book, Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity, tries to answer this question.

Shiflett is an experienced writer and reporter who has ghostwritten for prominent figures such as Donald Trump. This is evident in Exodus, which reads like a well-written op-ed. The narrative flows easily; and chapters pass readily. It is not a religious treatise. It is a series of snapshots, first of liberal, progressive clergy and their beliefs, then of orthodox, Bible-believing clergy and their beliefs. He begins by presenting the question that started his quest and the answer he found at its end; then he takes us on his journey.

He observed that liberal mainline churches were full of empty pews, while traditional churches were building bigger buildings to house their ever-increasing numbers. In 1960, 45% of registered voters were mainliners, and 45% were evangelicals and Roman Catholic. In 2000, 22% were mainliners, and 64% were evangelicals and Roman Catholic. Shiflett wondered why.

He first visits the Episcopal Church, the former mainstay of the mainline that has declined significantly in recent years. He learned how they reasoned away tradition and Scripture, how "contemporary virtues [like] tolerance have won out over biblical admonition," and how "admonitions to holy living suddenly become hate speech." They have followed all the popular trends, yet they have become unpopular.

Shiflett goes on to visit with Orthodox, Catholics, Southern Baptists, and other traditionalists who still believe in the unchanging, omnipotent God who revealed Himself in infallible Scripture. The same God who was preached in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.

Such old-fashioned, rigid beliefs should marginalize their adherents in our open-minded, indulgent culture. But people are flocking to such churches, even if they don't agree with everything that is preached there. People obviously prefer a powerful God.

His conclusion from these interviews is common sense, but it's neither obvious nor trivial. Adam Smith's "invisible hand" works in religion as well as economics.

People will not go to church on Sunday to sit on a hard pew to hear what they could hear from their television or read in a newspaper while sitting on their comfortable couch. For religion to capture their interest, it must have a higher standard than the nightly news. It must demand something of them; it must impact their entire lives.

Shiflett describes it thus: "The lesser the God, the smaller the congregation." People cannot respect the liberal's God; he is too variable, too human. According to prominent evangelical convert Chuck Colson, mainline churches don't answer people's questions. Traditional churches offer answers.

Shiflett has a broad knowledge of history and the biblical narrative. While this gives the book a scholarly edge, it could also make it inaccessible to someone unfamiliar with Christian terms like filioque, miracles like the wedding at Cana, and historical figures like Polycarp.

But most people who do not attend church probably do not care if the Christian church declines into oblivion anyway. For someone who has grown up in the church, studied the Bible, and has some knowledge of church history, it has a perfect tone, and this is the audience for whom Shiflett writes. The casual or serious church attendee, who has seen what is happening in the church and wondered about it, will find answers in Exodus. It provides an entertaining, yet serious look at the modern Christian church. While it answers many questions, it also gives the thoughtful reader plenty to contemplate.

Copyright 2005 Townhall.com.