In North America religion is still influential but theology does not appear very important to many. David F. Ford observes that it tends to be seen as a specialized professional discipline and marginal within both academic and wider culture. Modern theologians appear more interested in addressing and changing society rather than relating theology to the Church. This new form of Christianity defines the faith not in terms of beliefs and doctrine, but simply in terms of practices, making few intellectual demands on believers. They are fuzzy about the doctrines of God, sin, repentance, redemption, and the Church.
Experience counts more than theology.
This waning interest in the historic creeds, confessions and doctrine is distressing and bodes ill for the future. Conservative churches seem to follow rather than lead in our secular society, a society which has become almost totally Biblically illiterate. This sad state of affairs presents a new and urgent challenge for Christians who believe in the supreme authority of the inerrant Scriptures. And he observes that the situation is getting worse, now that the Bible is excluded from the public schools, and is not taught systematically in most churches, and has been further sidelined with the demise of family devotions. Unfortunately, the situation in the U.S. is no different from Canada's.