Decline of christianity in the united states

[Bootstrap]

Totally get that it’s frustrating — I think both you and Szdfan are frustrated. Maybe try ignoring Szdfan for a bit and just say what you believe, focusing on the topic?

You’re responsible for your posts, and he’s responsible for his. You’re an adult. You don’t need to wait for him to change before you can speak clearly and keep things on track.

John’s always welcome to ignore me. That’s entirely his prerogative.

And you’re free to ignore him too — which might make it easier to actually talk about the decline of Christianity in the U.S.

That conversation might end up being more interesting and useful than the back-and-forth.

[Szdfan]

Personally, I think what we need is revival — a deeply biblical, Christ-centered faith that’s compelling and life-giving. And honestly, it feels like something people are open to right now. A lot of folks are lonely, hurting, and frustrated. They’re looking for something meaningful and true.

That’s where I think the Church has something to offer. But we often seem to be missing the target. To me, that's a lot of the real decline. I want to do better.

What does revival look like for you? Is revival just personal or also institutional? The rejection of the Church isn't just because it's missing the mark with lonely, hurting, and frustrated people. People often reject Christianity because they see it as harmful -- that Christians say one thing, but do and support another. Who is the church hurting? How are Christians undermining their own credibility? How might the Church rebuild trust?

[JohnH]

I’m not sure how many people actually want a Christianity that means leaving nation, politics, ethnic identity, and family ties behind. Yet Jesus called to do exactly that, and become part of a new nation, learn a new kind of politics, and abandon ethnic separatism and instead learn about where there is “neither Jew nor Greek”.

I think it’s a powerful message. But it means leaving these worldly things behind. And part of that would be abandoning ideas that America was somehow at some kind of pinnacle of Christianity in the 1950s or whenever. (I view it as actually quite godless; church became just a thing to do on Sunday, with a new kind of national, political ethos emerging to replace what Christianity and church used to mean in America.)

It also means no longer seeing politicians as saviors nor as enemies. I think of them just as the guys who run my township. They run a trash day every few months and patch up the roads. I don’t need to get involved beyond that, other than to try to be a good witness. One church member lets the township folks borrow his heavy equipment sometimes. I think that’s a good witness.

[Valerie]

From John 3

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil

I’d love to see revival. However prophecy is being fulfilled in the decline of “faith” as Jesus said, “when the Son of man comes, will He find faith in all the world?”
Some will come but overall the Bible speaks of the falling away, America will not be exempt.

I think verse 19 speaks into today’s spiritual climate. They love darkness more than light.

[JohnL]

I’m seeing more folks going to church since Helene hit our mountains. Disasters have a way of resetting everyone’s priorities.

[Valerie]

I’m seeing more folks going to church since Helene hit our mountains. Disasters have a way of resetting everyone’s priorities.

Thinking back to churches filling up after 9/11, but it seemed short lived. God can use disasters to draw people to Him. Often after one occurs you hear survivors talk of how they prayed and gave thanks to God.

I watched a show the other night about Hurricane Ian in Ft. Meyers FL. Not one single person mentioned they prayed, no one was thankful to God they survived their life threatening situation. That seemed unusual.

[Bootstrap]

Personally, I think what we need is revival — a deeply biblical, Christ-centered faith that’s compelling and life-giving. And honestly, it feels like something people are open to right now. A lot of folks are lonely, hurting, and frustrated. They’re looking for something meaningful and true.

That’s where I think the Church has something to offer. But we often seem to be missing the target. To me, that's a lot of the real decline. I want to do better.

What does revival look like for you? Is revival just personal or also institutional? The rejection of the Church isn't just because it's missing the mark with lonely, hurting, and frustrated people. People often reject Christianity because they see it as harmful -- that Christians say one thing, but do and support another. Who is the church hurting? How are Christians undermining their own credibility? How might the Church rebuild trust?

For me, revival starts with asking God to transform us. Not them, but us. It begins when we come before God with open hands and ask him to reveal whatever is standing between us and him. I think of Finney’s call to “break up the fallow ground.” A tearing down of pride, self-protection, and complacency so that something new and alive can begin.

But it doesn’t end there. Revival changes how we think—shaping our mindset around seeking first the Kingdom of God. It reorders what we love and how we live. Love for God. Love for neighbor. A hunger for holiness. A desire to serve. The ministry of reconciliation. Justice. Humility. Obedience.

When that happens, it becomes visible. Like Jesus said, a light. A city on a hill.

You’re right that many people walk away from the Church because they’ve been hurt, or they see deep hypocrisy. We say we follow Jesus but too often align ourselves with power or self-interest instead of the cross. That’s real. Revival, to me, is the antidote. It calls us back to our first love and realigns us with the character of Christ.

How do we rebuild trust? I think it starts by letting God break us open—and then shape us into something that actually looks like him.

[Bootstrap]

I’m not sure how many people actually want a Christianity that means leaving nation, politics, ethnic identity, and family ties behind. Yet Jesus called to do exactly that, and become part of a new nation, learn a new kind of politics, and abandon ethnic separatism and instead learn about where there is “neither Jew nor Greek”.

I agree - Jesus really did call people to leave behind the things they once rooted their identity in: nation, tribe, politics, even family loyalty. And that’s still a hard word today. You’re right that many people don’t want to let go of those things.

But I don’t think it’s just “them.” I think it’s also us.

Even those of us who say we want revival aren’t always willing to pay the price. We want God to change the world, but we hesitate to let him change us. We hang on to pieces of our worldview that we picked up from the culture—security, power, reputation, comfort. We want new wine, but we don’t want new wineskins.

The Pharisees and Sadducees come to mind. Most of them weren’t outright evil—they were just deeply invested in preserving a religious system that no longer made room for the living presence of God. They were trying to protect the old container, even as Jesus was offering something far better.

Revival, as I see it, means letting go of the old wineskins. It means trusting God enough to be transformed, to be broken open and reshaped by the Spirit. That’s not easy. But it’s the kind of Christianity people might actually see as compelling and real.

[JohnL]

I’m seeing more folks going to church since Helene hit our mountains. Disasters have a way of resetting everyone’s priorities.

Thinking back to churches filling up after 9/11, but it seemed short lived. God can use disasters to draw people to Him. Often after one occurs you hear survivors talk of how they prayed and gave thanks to God.

I watched a show the other night about Hurricane Ian in Ft. Meyers FL. Not one single person mentioned they prayed, no one was thankful to God they survived their life threatening situation. That seemed unusual.

It seems unusual to me too. So far it doesn't seem anyone has stopped going to church here after Helene. I don't live close enough to Asheville to know what's happened to the fervent return down there.

[ohio jones]

Ill add two more. What time period in American History was great? Why was that a great period? And who was it great for?

... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope?

?? In the U.S.? Did i miss something?

That's a lot of question marks. I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition (nobody does).

i’m serious. what are you referring to? i don’t even know Catholics that are devoted to the Pope, much less fanatically so. not born in the U.S.

You shouldn't be quite so serious. I was using a Monty Python quote to draw attention to JBG's difficulty in counting.