The Decline of the Mainline German Churches in Light of the Rise of Late Modern Popular Culture

This article studies the relation between the mainline German churches and late modern popular culture. It will be argued that the mainline churches have struggled to either defend themselves or to adopt the contemporary cultural trends that have been evolving since the mid-twentieth century. While the author does not argue for a causal relationship, there are reasons to assume that the simultaneous decline of the mainline churches and the rise of late modern popular culture is more than accidental.