There appears to be an under-the-radar shift happening in American Christianity over recent years – especially among young men, who are gravitating more toward Orthodox Christianity.
Many young men are being drawn to Orthodox churches due to their traditional practices at a time when many Christians feel modern churches have become diluted or overly feminized.
The New York Post highlighted this shift in a recent article exploring the stories of men like Ben Christenson, a Virginia-based convert to Orthodoxy.
Ben Christenson was raised Anglican — church every Sunday, a religious school, and Christian camp every summer. But Christenson, 27 of Fairfax, Virginia, always found himself longing for a more traditional faith.
“The hard thing about growing up in my church is that there was a lot of change even in my lifetime,” he told The Post. “I realized that there really was no way to stop the change.”
He watched as traditions went by the wayside: The robed choir was swapped out for a worship band, lines were blurred on female ordination, and long-held stances on LGBT issues shifted.
“All of that stuff was basically fungible, which gave me a sense that the theological commitments are kind of fungible, too,” he said.
Christenson isn’t the only one leaving mainstream protestant churches for Orthodoxy. In fact, Orthodox churches have seen a rapid rise in attendance over recent years, according to The New York Post.
A survey of Orthodox churches around the country found that parishes saw a 78% increase in converts in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. And while historically men and women converted in equal numbers, vastly more men have joined the church since 2020.
Father Josiah Trenham has led Saint Andrew’s Orthodox Church in Riverside, California, for nearly three decades — and he’s noticed a swift jump in interest: “The last four to five years have been a massive uptick. It’s showing no sign of tapering off. If anything, it’s increasing still … It’s happening massively in untold numbers all over the country.”
Trenham’s church has 1,000 active participants, and, although recent converts in his congregation have been split roughly evenly between men and women, he agrees that most Orthodox churches around the country are gaining far more men.
“The feminization of non-Orthodox forms of Christianity in America has been in high gear for decades,” Trenham explained.
He points to the fact that the vast majority of attendees at most Christian churches are female, and many services are accordingly dominated by emotional songs, swaying, uplifted hands, and eyes closed in ecstasy.
“Men are much less comfortable [in those settings], and they have voted with their feet, which is why they’re minorities in these forms of worship,” he said. “Our worship forms are very traditional and very masculine.”
This shift reflects a larger response to what many perceive as the feminization of Christianity. This debate has been going on for decades. Author Holly Pivec wrote an article in Biola Magazine in 2006 titled “The Feminization of the Church.” In the piece, she discusses how music, messages, and ministries have catered mostly to female attendees.
Pivec discussed the matter with author David Murrow, who noted that the modern church appeals mainly to the “middle-aged to elderly woman,” which has led men to view church as “ladies’ clubs.”
Worship music, in particular, was a focus. Mike Erre, who headed the men’s ministry at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, CA, indicated that feminine expressions of Christianity were valued more than masculine expressions.
“The classic example is the worship pose of the eyes shut and the arms raised in this tender embrace, singing a song that says, ‘I’m desperate for you. You’re the air I breathe.’ Guys don’t talk to guys like that,” Erre said.
Pope Francis, in a controversial 2023 speech, argued for the church to “demasculinize.” He referred to the “masculinization” of the church as a sin and urged theologians to create a more robust theology for females. Many lauded this move as a step toward inclusivity. However, some pointed out that it could further alienate men.
As Christensen indicated, the appeal of Orthodoxy for men is not just about its theological soundness, but also about the fact that it demands more from the believer. A Global Orthodox article describes the theology as “serious, difficult, and demanding,” requiring believers to fast, engage in physical worship, and exercise spiritual discipline.
One adherent stated, “It’s the only church where you are required to adapt to it, rather than it adapting to you.”
The Orthodox church often features “martial” imagery where saints are depicted as warriors and presents faith as an active struggle to maintain spiritual discipline rather than a passive experience.
It is also worth mentioning the countercultural appeal that Orthodoxy provides to men seeking meaning. In a world that is more defined by change and cultural upheaval, Orthodoxy’s unchanging liturgy and traditions stand out as a promising alternative for men looking to deepen their faith.
The practices in these churches mirror those of the early church and have not been significantly altered over the years. There appears to be a sense of getting back to how Christianity was done shortly after the days when Jesus Christ walked the Earth.
This trend raises some interesting questions about its long-term impact on Christianity in America. With more men expressing interest in Orthodox teachings, there could be more of a shift from mainstream Protestantism to something that reflects the Christianity of the past.
It is also possible that this could prompt mainstream denominations to reimagine their practices while looking at ways to appeal to both men and women.
There is definitely some truth to the complaints. As someone who used to play on worship teams, I can see where these folks are coming from, even if I don’t fully agree. In many ways, the worship experience has been geared more toward a feminine approach. I can see how this might make men feel out of place.
As in all things, there must be some balance. Christians are both male and female. Catering to one sex isn’t the best way to bring more people into the fold. The coming years might see a shift in this paradigm. Perhaps it will affect the culture in a more significant way, especially with more people becoming disenchanted with the current state of the church.