Judging from the reaction of some social pundits, one would think the sky is falling and the end of Christianity in America is at hand.
Indeed, the day after the latest American Religious Identification Survey was released March 9, a writer published an article in The Christian Science Monitor declaring, “We are on the verge — within 10 years — of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity.” The writer predicted anti-Christian attitudes in a post-Christian culture and intolerance toward believers.
The reason for this panic? The survey found that the percentage of the American population that identifies itself as Christian fell more than 10 percent since 1990 and those embracing no religion rose from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2008. The obvious conclusion is that Christianity is failing and the number of those who reject religion is growing. But before embracing that idea, it would be helpful to view the findings more closely.
Seventy-six percent of Americans — roughly three out of four — still identify themselves as Christians. That is an overwhelming majority. The study’s authors also pointed out that most of the drop in Christian identification occurred in the 1990s. At the beginning of that decade, 86.2 percent of Americans said they were Christians. In 2001, the percentage was 76.7. In the past seven years, the percentage has declined only seven-tenths of 1 percent.
Perhaps it should be noted that the rapid drop in Christian identity that occurred during the 1990s has almost stopped completely. With the downward trend almost stopped, perhaps we are on the verge of reversing the trend.
And while it is true that when asked to identify their religious preference, 15 percent of the population answered “none,” that is only eight-tenths of 1 percent higher than the 2001 finding of 14.2 percent. Again the major change in that category came during the 1990s as the percentage increased from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 14.2 percent in 2001.
At the same time, the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as atheists or agnostics remains relatively low. Atheists constitute seven-tenths of 1 percent of the population and agnostics nine-tenths of 1 percent. Both numbers are regrettable but the agnostic category has grown only two-tenths of 1 percent since 1990 and the atheist category only three-tenths of 1 percent since 2001, according to the survey.
Researchers observed the majority of the “none” category’s new members are church members disillusioned by internal church problems such as sex abuse by priests and pastors. The news release that accompanied the survey stated, “The decline of Catholicism in the Northeast is nothing short of stunning.” In the six New England states, half the residents self-identified as Catholics in 1990. In 2008, the percentage was down to 36 percent.
In each state, the percentage of “nones” has more than doubled — in some, more than tripled. In Vermont, those identified with no church jumped from 13 percent in 1990 to 34 percent in 2008, giving that state the dubious honor of having the largest percentage of its population identified with no church. In fact, the New England states have the highest number of “nones” of any region of the nation — 22 percent. One cannot escape the impression that a lot of the “nones” are expressing pain that caused them to withdraw from organized religion rather than a rejection of God.
Immigration from Latin America has kept Catholic numbers nearly steady nationwide since 2001, the study reported. Ninety percent of the decline in the Christian population comes from the non-Catholic segment. The study is more specific. It said most of that decline comes from mainline denominations including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and members of the United Church of Christ.
For Baptists, the news is good and bad. The study pointed out that the Baptist population was “relatively stable” during the 1990s. There was a drop of 144,000 during the decade. The researchers added, “The sudden growth spurt in Baptist numbers since 2001 seems to reflect a measurable reassertion of a Baptist identity among the population.”
That “sudden growth” is an increase of 2.3 million people in raw numbers who identify as Baptists since 2001, totaling 36,148,000 Baptists in America. However, that growth has not kept up with the increase in population, meaning the percentage of the American population calling itself Baptist fell from 16.3 percent in 2001 to 15.8 percent in 2008.
The study went on to say the area of Protestant Christianity that has grown since the last survey is the area composed of conservative denominations. That is an encouraging word.
A major finding is related to the growth of Christians who call themselves “born again or evangelical.” The authors pointed out that this definition usually refers to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, together with “a certain view of salvation, Scripture and missionary work.”
Forty-five percent of all self-identified Christians place themselves in this category. What is significant is that “millions of mainliners and Catholics now identify with this trend,” the authors said.
The study concluded, “[T]here is a real and growing theological polarization in American society whereby 34 percent of the population believe they are ‘born again’ but 25–30 percent reject the idea of a personal divinity.” It will be interesting to see how these two groups work together.
Alabama does not face such polarity. According to the study, 86 percent of the state’s citizens self-identify as Christian — 80 percent as Protestant and 6 percent as Catholic. “Nones” number 11 percent. Sadly the percentage of Christians is down from 93 percent in 1990 and “nones” is up from 4 percent that year.
The sky may not be falling nationally or in Alabama, but there obviously is work to be done in sharing the good news that God loves all people and faith in Jesus is the way to a right relationship with God now and for eternity.
The answer is not in right political positions or ritual. It is in loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength through faith in Christ. As one writer pointed out, even the disciples reached wrong conclusions and did wrong things but Jesus never gave up on them. Instead He loved them always.
That kind of love draws people to our Savior. It is a love expressed in deeds as well as words. It is a love that invites, cares, endures, overcomes. When people experience God’s love, it will hold them through pain and joy alike. They never will be ashamed to claim the name of Christ whether they are in the majority or minority population.
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