In a nation formed specifically to provide freedom of religion to its citizens, something interesting has happened. Religious involvement in the US is at an all-time low. In 2020, the percentage of Americans that belonged to a church fell to 47%, the lowest recorded level in 80 years of Gallup surveys.[1] And a 2023 report from the Public Religion Research Institute found that just 16% of Americans now say religion is the most important think in their lives.[2]
In the 1930s, less than 100 years ago, nearly 70% of Americans attended church regularly. Shadi Hamid writes for The Atlantic, “From 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70 percent. Then something happened. Over the past two decades, that number has dropped to less than 50 percent, the sharpest recorded decline in American history. Meanwhile, the ‘nones’—atheists, agnostics, and those claiming no religion—have grown rapidly and today represent a quarter of the population.”[3]
People are no less involved in faith and causes than they were a century ago. Replacing religion in their lives is political and social activism. Ideological intensity has risen. Where once people identified as a child of God, they now identify as any number of cultural populations. Religious denominations like protestant, catholic, presbyterian, have given way to cultural markers like environmentalist, LGBTQ+, pro-choice, anti-racism or migrant supporter. But where faith in God gives believers a moral, ethical and social foundation on which to build their lives, activism is instead centered on abstract cultural ideals. Objective right and wrong give way to relative discretion, and with it society loses at least three key facets of life that the Christian faith encourages:
We are losing the freedom to rise. A Christian belief is that we live in a sinful and fallen world, but through Jesus Christ, we can rise from our sinful state. Through Jesus’ payment for sin on the cross and victory over death, we can experience forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. In stark contrast, today’s religion-free culture admonishes us to choose our state of victimhood, and understand that we are either oppressed or an oppressor. Because the system itself is flawed, we live as we are, unable to rise above our circumstances.
The Christian faith teaches justification and sanctification. Ezekiel 18:21-23 teaches us, “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” To be justified is to be set free from the penalty of sin. Then the Christian enters the process of sanctification as he becomes more and more like Jesus Christ in his life and leadership. To serve Christ is to be a part of something bigger than yourself, ultimately as a member of the Kingdom of God. Instead many in the US now spend time searching for their status as victim, and begin a long, slow, and often unsuccessful attempt to rise out of presumed oppression.
We are losing the freedom to unite. With the proliferation of victim classes in culture comes the inability to unite around a common cause. We often speak of the country being more divided than ever. The Internet and social media have connected previously isolated individuals into hundreds of small groups of like-minded people around social justice causes. The media has also created a sense of “groupthink”, where to believe or voice something not in the mainstream will result in getting “cancelled”. Instead of a country united under specific ideals, we are small tribes of people pitting ourselves against everyone who thinks differently.
The Christian faith instead teaches us unity amount the body of Christ followers. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” Unity is important because we can accomplish more when we share the same mindset. In Christ, we live under the same biblical code and share a common mission. A nation free of Christian ideals becomes further divided among its many social and ethnic groups.
We are losing the freedom to forgive. Perhaps there is no more difficult result of the decline of faith in America than a lack of forgiveness. In seeking social justice, groups are constantly looking for others to admit their sin against society, and pay for their wrong actions. In some cases groups want monetary reparations for the wrong acts of ancestors who are generations past. As a nation we are holding on to resentment, unresolved conflict, hurts and disappointments. We have become fearful of offending others, regardless of whether their offense is justified. This lack of forgiveness has led to a generation of Americans seeking offense, whether it is anger at being called the wrong pronoun, or having to deal with an outcome or decision that, though fair, doesn’t favor them.
Jesus teaches, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25). Forgiveness is central to the Christian faith. Christ begins by forgiving us of our sins, and then teaches that we, too, lead and live in a state of forgiveness toward our fellow man. This is not only biblical, but physically and emotionally healthy, as we let go of offense and past wrongs and look forward to purposeful living. According to John Hopkins Medicine, “Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress.”[4] The Bible teaches what we all know down deep—it is good to forgive and move on.
Free to be faithful. Though non-religious people often tout living the Christian faith as a restrictive set of rules by which to be governed, the Bible teaches that a life committed to Jesus Christ is one of freedom. Galatians 5:1 states, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” This flips the definition of freedom upside down. To be free of Christ is to be enslaved, not only by sin and its consequences, but by a worldview and culture which sets a shifting goal for personal and social justice to which one can never resolve. Instead it is faithful living for Christ in which we experience freedom. May we live faithfully in such a way that others see John 8:36 embodied through the church: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
[1] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2021-03-29/church-membership-hits-all-time-low-in-2020-gallup-finds
[2] https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1176206568/less-important-religion-in-lives-of-americans-shrinking-report
[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/04/america-politics-religion/618072/
[4] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it
In a nation formed specifically to provide freedom of religion to its citizens, something interesting has happened. Religious involvement in the US is at an all-time low. Replacing religion in their lives is political and social activism.