I recently heard a sermon when I was home that stated that people leave the church because they feel that God's grace couldn't possibly cover their sins. Basically they leave because of a lack of God's grace. Sitting on my hard wooden bench, listening through the whispers of kids playing on the benches ahead of me and their parents hushing them, I fought the urge to yell BS! If I was to pick a reason to describe why people leave, its not because of a lack of God's grace but a belief that God has more grace than this church will admit. While I am admittedly struggling in the religion department, personally I believe that assuming their is a God (I think so) he/she is going to give grace to more than just a few scattered North American congregations. This brings to mind a lecture I got in a college religion class.
During a war at one point in the history of this world, a military official was with another from the Asia or the Middle east. As they were strolling the streets of whatever city they happened to be in, they heard a man calling out in prayer to his God. The local official looked to the man of America and asked "Does your God hear his prayers?" This spiked a thought train for the official. If his God didn't heard the prayers how could he be all knowing? If he heard did he answer them? If he heard but did not answer the calls of this man in need what kind of God was he? If he heard and answered then what does that mean for Christianity?
The church I grew up in is small, maybe 5,000. According to them they are the only ones who will be saved, along with all the children of this world. Everyone else is screwed. If people are leaving because they feel there is a lack of grace, it is not the grace to cover their own sins but the sins of the world.
