---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem with liberal Protestantism in…"
description: "\"The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it has lost a lot of religious substance\" — Pet..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png"
---

#  The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not…

![“The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it has lost a lot of religious substance” quote by Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png)

> “The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it has lost a lot of religious substance”

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Liberal Protestantism in America has become superficial, lacking deep religious content despite formal orthodoxy.

**In simple terms:** Religion has become shallow, losing substance.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth over form.

Themes

religion culture authenticity

Mood

reflective critical

Type

theological sociological

When to use this quote

- church leadership
- theological education
- faith communities
- public discourse

Key Concepts

substance orthodoxy secularism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can churches restore meaningful substance?
- What role does culture play in shaping belief?

A Different Perspective

May overlook the value of diverse theological expressions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Orthodox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Protestantism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestantism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the effects of modern liberal Protestantism has been gradually to turn religion into poetry and therapy, to make truth vaguer and vaguer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-effects-of-modern-liberal-protestantism-has-been-gradually/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [The idea that Christianity is basically a religion of moral improvement... has its roots in the liberal Protestantism of the late nineteenth century and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-idea-that-christianity-is-basically-a-religion-of-moral/)

[Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/)

> [The great achievement of liberal Protestantism was to make God boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-great-achievement-of-liberal-protestantism-was-to-make-god-boring/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [“Europeans had highly developed regional and national cultures and societies before they bolted on Protestantism. America, on the other hand, was half-created by Protestant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/europeans-had-highly-developed-regional-and-national-cultures-and/)

[Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/)

> [In America most orthodox Christians become defensive or testy when they are asked even to break into a sweat. Most of our efforts up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/in-america-most-orthodox-christians-become-defensive-or-testy-when/)

[Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/)

> [“Among the tastemakers and power brokers and intellectual agenda setters of late-twentieth-century America, orthodox Christianity was completely déclassé.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/among-the-tastemakers-and-power-brokers-and-intellectual-agenda/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/the-gates-of-hell-shall-not-prevail-against-it/)

[Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/)

> [Place before your eyes two Precepts, and two only. One is, Preach the Gospel; and the other is--Put down enthusiasm!The Church of England in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-augusta-ward/place-before-your-eyes-two-precepts-and-two-only-one-is-preach-the/)

[Mary Augusta Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-augusta-ward/)

> [“I bear within me the seed, the rudiments, the possibility of life's capacities and endeavors. Where might I be, if I were not here?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/i-bear-within-me-the-seed-the-rudiments-the-possibility-of-life-s/)

[Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/)

> [I used to think that prayer should have the first place and teaching the second. I now feel it would be truer to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-fraser/i-used-to-think-that-prayer-should-have-the-first-place-and-teaching/)

[James O. Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-fraser/)

> [When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the world-old, world-wide religio of amulets and holy places and priestcraft. Protestantism,in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-catholicism-goes-bad-it-becomes-the-world-old-world-wide-religio/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Some have said that the clash between Catholicism and Protestantism illustrates the old maxim that religious freedom is the product of two equally pernicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/some-have-said-that-the-clash-between-catholicism-and-protestantism/)

[Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/)

> [“The distinction between the church invisible and the church visible lies at the heart of the conflict between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-m-mcgraw/the-distinction-between-the-church-invisible-and-the-church-visible/)

[Ryan M. McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-m-mcgraw/)

> [Take the very hardest thing in your life - the place of difficulty, outward or inward, and expect God to triumph gloriously in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilias-trotter/take-the-very-hardest-thing-in-your-life-the-place-of-difficulty/)

[Lilias Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilias-trotter/)

> [Like the early Christians, we must move into a sometime hostile world armed with the revolutionary gospel of Jesus Christ. With this powerful gospel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/like-the-early-christians-we-must-move-into-a-sometime-hostile-world/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

## More by Peter L. Berger

> [“In sum, the actor identifies with the socially objectivated typifications of conduct in actu, but re-establishes distance from them as he reflects about his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-sum-the-actor-identifies-with-the-socially-objectivated/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [In acute suffering the need for meaning is as strong or stronger than the need for happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-acute-suffering-the-need-for-meaning-is-as-strong-or-stronger-than/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [In all advanced industrial societies, education has become the single most important vehicle of upward mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/in-all-advanced-industrial-societies-education-has-become-the-single/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“Different objects present themselves to consciousness as constituents of different spheres of reality. I recognize the fellowmen I must deal with in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/different-objects-present-themselves-to-consciousness-as-constituents/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [F. A. Hayek is probably the most prominent advocate of capitalism in the present period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/f-a-hayek-is-probably-the-most-prominent-advocate-of-capitalism-in/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [India is the most religious country in the world, Sweden is the most secular country in the world, and America is a country of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/india-is-the-most-religious-country-in-the-world-sweden-is-the-most/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“It is in the legitimation of death that the transcending potency of symbolic universes manifests itself most clearly, and the fundamental terror-assuaging character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/it-is-in-the-legitimation-of-death-that-the-transcending-potency-of/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [An economy oriented toward production for market exchange provides the optimal conditions for long-lasting and ever-expanding productive capacity based on modern technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/an-economy-oriented-toward-production-for-market-exchange-provides/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [It has been true in Western societies and it seems to be true elsewhere that you do not find democratic systems apart from capitalism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/it-has-been-true-in-western-societies-and-it-seems-to-be-true/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [On the one hand, man is a body, in the same way that this may be said of every other animal organism. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/on-the-one-hand-man-is-a-body-in-the-same-way-that-this-may-be-said/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“One of the traits of sophistication is the capacity to cross borders between different cultural relevancies. Humor is often, intentionally or not, the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/one-of-the-traits-of-sophistication-is-the-capacity-to-cross-borders/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“All human activity is subject to habitualization. Any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern, which can then be reproduced with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/all-human-activity-is-subject-to-habitualization-any-action-that-is/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [Language is capable of becoming the objective repository of vast accumulations of meaning and experience, which it can then preserve in time and transmit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/language-is-capable-of-becoming-the-objective-repository-of-vast/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“Activity becomes process. Choices become destiny. Men then live in the world they themselves have made as if they were fated to do so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/activity-becomes-process-choices-become-destiny-men-then-live-in-the/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

> [“...his consuming interest remains in the world of men, their institutions, their history, their passions. And because he is interested in men, nothing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/his-consuming-interest-remains-in-the-world-of-men-their-institutions/)

[Peter L. Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

[Explore all 80 Peter L. Berger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it has lost a lot of religious substance",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter L. Berger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-in-america-is-not-that-it-has/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-in-america-is-not-that-it-has/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fba/peter-l-berger-8474_america_the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-i_3208322.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The problem with liberal Protestantism in America is not that it has not been orthodox enough, but that it…” — Peter L. Berger",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter L. Berger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-berger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The problem with liberal Protestantism in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-in-america-is-not-that-it-has/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-berger/the-problem-with-liberal-protestantism-in-america-is-not-that-it-has/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
