A Great Liberal Awakening?

Replying to Ross Douthat, Diana Butler Bass argues that in the U.S., at least, conservative evangelical and Roman Catholic churches are shrinking, while liberal Christianity is quietly renewing itself through its commitment to social justice and invitation to a deeper personal spirituality:

[T]he accepted story of conservative growth and liberal decline is a twentieth century tale, at odds with what the surveys, data, and best research says what is happening now. Indeed, I think that the better story of contemporary Christianity is that of an awakening of a more open, more inclusive, more spiritually vital faith is roiling and I argue for that in my recent book, Christianity After Religion.

So, Mr. Douthat asks, "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?" But I wonder: Can Liberal Churches Save Christianity? The twenty-first century has yet to answer that, but I think we may be surprised.

Hat tip to Howard Anderson