Men now surpass women in church attendance, especially among Gen X, millennials: Barna

PloverWing said:

I think the general idea is people wanting to keep what's good about their culture (faith, cuisine, art, music, etc.),

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That's only a surface view of what "culture" means that they bring with them.

Culture is not merely "faith, cuisine, art, music,_ and those visible things. That's just "surface culture."

The culture of an ethnic group also includes their "Shallow Culture." Shallow Culture is made up of the unspoke rules around everyday social interactions and norms: Courtesy, attitudes toward elders, nature or friendship, concepts of timeliness, personal space, rules about eye contact or appropriate touching. This level has a strong emotional charge. Interpretation of certain behaviors can manifest as being friendly, hostile, disrespectful, or offensive. Social violation of these norms can cause mistrust, distress, or social friction.

And the bring with them their "Deep Culture," which is the tacit knowledge and unconscious assumptions that govern world view. They include cosmology, morality, spirituality, health, and theories of group harmony. Deep culture governs how we approve of new information (epistemology). While shallow culture pertains to how moral values are socially presented, deep culture pertains to how those moral values are characterized. Deep culture defines right/wrong, respect/disrespect, honor/dishonor.

We're talking about differences in how cultures approach the very substances of human interactions and world views--"good" things from their point of view--and you're saying we're going to clash all those together...because they can't mix.

RDKirk said:

That's only a surface view of what "culture" means that they bring with them.

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I agree that you've given a more complete view of what "culture" means. I'm not as pessimistic as your last paragraph suggests, though I agree that there's lots of potential to violate each other's cultural norms.

RileyG said:

I wonder why?

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Lots of reasons, mostly cultural or having to do with Orthodox perceived as a high-demand religion (a perception that is often accurate). There's also the fact the number of Orthodox Christians in the US is relatively small, and some potential spouses have high standards and view marriage as being at least somewhat of a social transaction between families, and not necessarily in terms of western individualism.

The end result is that in the last couple of decades, the orthodox church hasn't really grown in size much, even though conversions have continued, as statistically converts have tended to lose interest after several years, or cradle Orthodox disaffiliate.

PloverWing said:

I agree that you've given a more complete view of what "culture" means. I'm not as pessimistic as your last paragraph suggests, though I agree that there's lots of potential to violate each other's cultural norms.

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Nobody really wants genuine "diversity." People who say that really want only surface-level diversity with everyone adhering their own culture beneath the surface. The people who say "diversity" really want Oreos, bananas, coconuts, and apples.

I'm not sure that's true. Diversity is one expression of the rich variety of the wisdom of God, and a wise and humble person can appreciate that diversity is part of God's gift and God's grace, for the flourishing of society. That it's a mistake to want or feel the need for everyone to think alike, feel like, act alike, but that through difference we can all learn and grow and be enriched.