Ed Vitagliano
AFA Journal news editor
March 2013 – We frequently hear the refrain: As a people, Americans are becoming less Christian; as a nation, America is becoming more detached from its Christian foundations.
Studies reveal there may be some truth to this view, but the reality is not so clear. The nation is still strongly connected to religion, and some believe the influence of Christianity might actually increase in coming years.
What are some of the overarching trends that seem capable of transforming America over the decades to come? Can Christians, with God’s help, turn the tide?
America becoming less religious
Last year, a survey conducted by WIN-Gallup International, titled “Global Index of Religion and Atheism,” documented some of the religious and spiritual trends worldwide. One of the questions it asked more than 50,000 participants was whether or not they viewed themselves as religious persons.
On its list of the top 10 countries experiencing a “notable decline in religiosity” since 2005, the U.S. came in eighth, with a 13% drop (from 73% to 60%). Worldwide there was an average decline of 9%, primarily driven by drops in religiosity in Western nations.
Other U.S. polling data, such as the ongoing surveys of religious trends conducted by Barna Research Group, also indicate an erosion of religious commitment.
One measurement of that trend has been in the category of “unchurched” people, defined by Barna in its surveys as “all adults who have not attended any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior six month period.”
“The most prolific change in religious behavior [over the last 20 years] … has been the increase in the percentage of adults categorized as unchurched,” said Barna. In 1991, one-quarter of adults (24%) were unchurched. That figure has grown by more than half, to 37% today.”
In 2012, the Pew Research Center released a study that underscored that development. The study revealed that 20% of Americans viewed themselves as religiously unaffiliated – up from 15% in just five years. In the popular press these Americans are sometimes referred to as “nones” – as in “none of the above” when it comes to selecting religious categories in surveys. (See chart on below.)
America becoming less tied to Christianity
Still, there are plenty of people in the U.S. who claim to be Christian. According to Barna, for example, over the last 20 years, the percentage of people who self-identify as Christian has remained consistently around 84%. The number of those who say they have made a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in my life today” has also stayed fairly constant – at 65%.
In the culture as a whole, however, Barna’s research has revealed a decline in the acceptance of the Christian belief system.
“When asked to choose one of several descriptions of God,” said one Barna report, “the proportion who believe that God is ‘the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today’ currently stands at two-thirds of the public (67%). That represents a seven point drop from the 1991 level.”
A similar drop in confidence in the Bible itself has also become evident. In 1991, 46% of adults strongly affirmed the statement, “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” But in 2011 that percentage had plummeted to 38%.
“What used to be basic, universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a large and growing share of Americans – especially young adults,” Barna said. The group added: “[T]he data suggest that biblical literacy is likely to decline significantly.”
Even in the area of Christian practice, Barna has found cause for alarm. Between 1991 and 2011 there have been declines in weekly Bible reading other than in church services (- 5%), church volunteerism (-8%), Sunday school attendance (-8%) and church attendance (-9%).
Not the whole story
However, according to Frank Newport, editor-in-chief for Gallup, the nation’s premiere polling group, these trends may be real but don’t tell the whole story.
In his new book, God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, Newport insists that religion – and Christianity – are flourishing in our nation but may simply be undergoing some transformations.
“Faith and religion are very much alive and well – a key point is, it’s changing,” he told TheBlaze.com. “The way people manifest their religiosity has changed over time. That’s not unusual.”
He said the real meaning of the increase in “nones” is that a portion of the American religious scene has started to see “unbranded religion” as a plus.
“People feel more comfortable saying ‘I’m nothing – I was raised a Catholic and I’m not anything now,’” Newport said. “A lot of those ‘nones’ still are spiritual and religious when you measure it in different ways.”
A joint survey conducted by Pew and PBS and released late last year reinforced Newport’s argument. That study revealed that, of the 46 million religiously unaffiliated Americans, 68% said they believe in God, 37% said they consider themselves “spiritual” but not “religious” and 21% said they pray every day.
Backyard mission field
Clearly, then, the growth in the number of “nones” presents an opportunity for the church. Are these people who were only nominal Christians to begin with – or perhaps not truly Christian in the first place? Are they people who are Christian, but who have been hurt by something that happened in their churches? Are they simply spiritually-minded people who have never really heard the gospel?
If so, it is entirely plausible that committed Christians could reach them with the truth of God’s word.
As noted by Ross Douthat, a conservative author and columnist for the New York Times, “Christians need to find a way to thrive in a society that looks less and less like any sort of Christendom – and more and more like the diverse and complicated Roman Empire where their religion had its beginning.”
Christians should be encouraged by the challenge. We should remember that the faithful witness of the church some two thousand years ago managed to conquer an empire and provided light to a world where
none existed. 
Stay grounded, alert and informed
1. Make sure the church you attend preaches the word of God in a gospel-centered way. Materials such as the Behold Your God DVD series, produced by American Family Studios, help deepen the Christian life.
2. Prepare your children to live in a pluralistic culture with numerous religions and worldviews.
3. Keep abreast of the cultural inroads made by alternative worldviews, such as secular humanism. A good place to start is the AFA media outlets:
AFA Journal – Get a free one-year subscription by calling 662-844-5036 x294 or at http://afajournal.org/subscribe/
www.afa.net – AFA’s main Internet site
www.onenewsnow.com – The online news service of AFA
www.afr.net – The Internet site of American Family Radio and AFRTalk
