Once upon a time the United States was known as a “Christian nation”, but now our country is moving away from those roots at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking. I spend a lot of time writing about the ongoing collapse of our economic system, but the truth is that we are witnessing a collapse of faith as well. In 1972, a Pew survey found that 92 percent of all Americans identified as Christians, but the most recent Pew survey that asked this question discovered that only 63 percent of Americans still identify as Christians at this point…
Pew Research Center has been measuring religious identity since 2007 using a slightly different question wording – “What is your present religion, if any?” – as well as a different set of response options. Since 2007, the percentage of adults who say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” in the Center’s surveys has grown from 16% to 29%. During this time, the share of U.S. adults who identify as Christian has fallen from 78% to 63%. If you look at this chart, you will see that the decline has greatly accelerated in recent years. Assuming that this trend continues, it won’t be too long before we are under 50 percent. And it is very important to note that many Americans that still identify as “Christians” want absolutely nothing to do with traditional Christian values.
Church attendance in the United States has been steadily falling for decades as well, and the shift that we have seen since the pandemic started has been particularly dramatic…
Protestant pastors reported that typical church attendance is only 85% of pre-pandemic levels, McConnell said, while research by the Survey Center on American Life and the University of Chicago found that in spring 2022 67% of Americans reported attending church at least once a year, compared with 75% before the pandemic. (Think about that – many of the people who claim Christianity only attend a couple of times a year – Easter and Christmas – Is that really practicing Christianity? - GWB) As a result, large numbers of churches are being forced to close all over the nation.
In fact, a recent Guardian article claimed that “thousands of churches are closing each year”…
Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics. As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
We are going down the exact same road that almost every other western nation has already traveled. At one time, virtually every nation in the western world was heavily Christian, but now most of them have been transformed into post-Christian societies.
It could be argued that the United States is already there as well, and one recent survey found that most parents do not consider it to be important to pass their faith on to their children…
“Parents place less importance on their children growing up to have religious or political beliefs that are similar to their own. About a third (35%) say it is extremely or very important to them that their children share their religious beliefs, and 16% say the same about their children’s political beliefs,” Pew researchers Rachel Minkin and Juliana Horowitz said in Parenting in America Today released on Tuesday. Numbers such as these should make all of us very sad.
Sadly, many Americans simply do not care.
Our nation is choosing to reject faith like never before, and right now there are no indications that this is going to turn around any time soon.
What Can We Do?
First, live a faithful Christian life. Christ should shine through our lives. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Paul said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15). Be an active part of the church. We are living in a country where people are rejecting the church, but Christ established the church to do the work He wants accomplished. The citizens of the United States need to see what a true Christian looks like and that Christ’s principles and commands when followed will make this a better world.
Second, defend the faith. The United States is full of lots of false ideas. Jude wrote, “contend earnestly for the faith” (v. 3). Peter said, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (I Peter 3:15).
Third, defend the truth in a loving manner. Notice Peter said to do this with “gentleness and reverence.” We need to deal with people in a gentle way at the same time have reverence for God and His word. Paul also said, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Fourth, train your children and grandchildren in the way of the Lord. Our children and grandchildren are being fed false ideas through all kinds of media. If you, with the help of the church, do not teach them God’s truth, they will contribute to the fall of America just like the rest of the citizens of this great country. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
If each Christian will do these things, we can create faith rather than contribute to the failing of faith in the United States.
— Wayne Burger