Are You Still a Christian?
According to recent large study put out by The Pew Charitable Trust, the percentage of adults who would identify themselves as Christians has dropped from 78% in 2007 to 65% in 2019. That is a massive drop off in a short period of time. Interestingly, the largest single drop in Christian identity was among college educated, white males living in the Northeast United States.
This means that fewer and fewer adults even nominally have a connection to the Christian faith. According to the study, the number of people who are active with their faith (like attend church at least once a month, read the Bible, etc.) is a lot smaller than that.
It is becoming increasingly normal for adults in our country, and especially in our region, to construct a meaningful life without any significant interaction with the church or even other Christians.
Modern life now has a feel of pressure and doubt. Pressure, because without God, it is up to us to figure out what makes a meaningful life. Doubt because now every belief feels contested. We live surrounded by people who seem to live good lives but whose core beliefs appear so different than our own. Faith has become a matter of personal choice. Nothing feels certain today. “We don’t believe instead of doubting”, James K.A. Smith writes, “we believe while doubting. We are all Thomas now.”
That is not all bad. Assumed belief or simply going along with the cultural norm may have never been genuine belief in the first place. Maybe with fewer people assuming they are Christians, the gospel can be fresh good news again.
But it means faith is hard today. Work, money, performance and acceptance feel much more compelling and seem to promise more meaning than a relationship with God. To many, believing in Christianity is not only irrational, it also feels irrelevant. So, they stop even identifying as Christian. There have always been these pressures and lack of belief. It is not new, but the recent numbers are showing that we may have reached a tipping point.
But God is not worried. We were made by God and for God. Things like beauty, love, justice only make sense if they flow from a loving God. Problems like guilt, vulnerability, death can only really find answers in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The game of life has not changed, but we may be playing on a different field.
Search was made for such a time as this. The subtle, thoughtful, purposeful style of our ministry can be effective in engaging people. In a world of doubt, asking questions, inviting conversations and exploring answers are all excellent tools to reach others.
Warren Buffett says of the financial markets. “It is wise to get fearful when everyone is greedy, and greedy when everyone is fearful.” I think this applies to us today. It may seem as though people are selling their shares of faith. But there may just be a great opportunity ahead. Thanks so much for your investment in Leadline. It has made all the difference.
God bless,
The Donohues
