No religion in the world is lived perfectly, as we know from our own life experience and from history. Certainly, as we’ve already seen, Christianity is no different from any other belief system in this regard. For many reasons, some Protestant Christians may be Christian “in name only.” They might attend church services once in a while, perhaps go to the occasional wedding or funeral; they might even be what are sometimes called “C and E Christians” who go to worship only on Christmas and Easter. For some, this may be an expression of a cultural or family tie, such as going to church because one is “going home for the holidays” or because “it’ll make Grandma happy.”
Furthermore, many Protestants (especially in the US) in their private or “inner” life may pray only occasionally or perhaps not at all, and may also have a very underdeveloped understanding of even basic Christian teachings. This is not new, of course, but this kind of “lukewarmness” has taken on a new and powerful meaning in contemporary society for the last several decades. It is made worse by increasing secularism and atheism that has infected our national life and, indeed, has become a new normal—especially among the Millennial generation and the Homeland generation.
Perhaps one frequent characteristic found among the “lukewarm,” no matter their denomination, is a tendency to sort of “gear-down” to a form of “basic Christianity.” They are often not very interested in particular doctrines or specific ways of Christian living. They believe in God and will acknowledge Jesus as the “Son of God” (perhaps not really even knowing what that means). They might also take the more progressive cultural position that the only “sins” are violations of the Ten Commandments (especially numbers 4-10), if even these.
Such attitudes among Protestant adults often come from the low level of formation they received in their youth and/or bad experiences they had in their church. It doesn’t necessarily mean that such persons do not really believe, but perhaps a more dynamic or committed experience somehow seems wrong to them, because much of their relationship to faith is summed up in a negative past experience.
There are others who have only very thin connections to faith, so weak that they are barely life-transforming or even life-sustaining. Many of these people are not “wicked” or “evil”—they are just trying to find their way in an increasingly complex and troubled world. It should not be thought that such “lukewarm” people are disinterested or lazy. It may just be that no one has ever offered them a fresh look at the authentic Christianity that makes us free before God—the God who heals, redeems, sanctifies and gives us the reason for hope.
We should state from the outset that we must carefully discern making any judgments concerning such people. There are a great many of these “lukewarm” believers, perhaps even a majority, who bear no ill-will or dislike toward the core of the Christian faith, yet for any number of reasons they will not or cannot make a more concerted effort to know and live it. This is true not just in Protestantism, but in all religions to one degree or another. We must also consider that so many people have endured tragedy and deep sorrows in the course of their lives. This is why our witness is so vitally important; some have just simply “dropped-out” and “tuned-out” because they “blame God” for something that has gone wrong in their lives. We can show them that despite what they have experienced, God is indeed good.
In establishing a dialogue with “lukewarm Protestants” of various kinds, we must be especially sensitive to their own experiences of faith (or lack of them) and perhaps engage them initially with the truth that God loves them, specially and individually. We should stress the parts of the Christian message that build hope and a sense of freedom. They should be reminded of the eternal destiny offered to them by Jesus who wants to show them His rich mercy and healing.
[Example of evangelizing a “Lukewarm” Protestant in a conversation]
The “lukewarm” Protestant provides a unique opportunity for evangelization. He or she may not be a practicing Protestant, but might maintain some semblance of their faith. The Catholic evangelist should try to discern this while getting to know the person. Then, and if applicable, the one good reason method (whether you use the phrase or not) might be all that it takes to get the “lukewarm” Protestant to start thinking more deeply about matters of faith and religion. Don’t worry right away about “making them a Catholic.” That can come later; though you’d usually be inviting them to your Catholic bible study or other Catholic gatherings.