Has the rise in secularism waned? That’s one conclusion to draw from the findings of the annual Pew survey, which gathered the religious views of over 35,000 people from across the country. Sixty-two percent of Americans identify as Christians. This number is consistent with surveys going back to 2019, when the precipitous decline in Christianity began to stabilize. What’s more, adherence and interest in non-Christian religions has started to rise.
These findings seem consistent with anecdotal evidence, such as high-profile conversions and new conversations about religion in popular media formats, suggesting a new interest in the transcendent and a rejection by many of secularism. Nobody should mistake these numbers for revival, but followers of Christ can find slivers of hope in a society seeming to question the atheism of what Charles Taylor labeled “The Secular Age.” Perhaps a world riven by war, natural disaster, an epidemic, and political upheaval has caused people to confront their own mortality and seek the divine.
There is opportunity here for the church, especially among younger cohorts, where Christianity is still lagging significantly behind older generations. While 28% of Boomers share no religious affiliation, 42% of Gen Z are among the so-called “nones.” While disavowing religion, many describe themselves as spiritual. Eighty-two percent of Americans believe humans have souls, while 76% believe in a universal God or spirit. Christians can boldly and beautifully share, like Paul on Mars Hill, about the “Lord of Heaven and Earth” to those who “seek him and reach out for him (Acts 17).
The church should not hesitate to embrace our mission field. In Romans, Paul reminds us: “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:15). To a world around us freshly put off by the false promises of secularism, by the dissatisfied pleasures of modernity, and by the lies of the sexual revolution, Christians must joyfully proclaim that there is a better way to orient our lives. We must show that a relationship with God through his Son is the gateway to fulfillment and true spirituality, not the cheap substitutes on offer.
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Daniel is director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book is Agents of Grace. He is also a bestselling author of several other books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words, and the host of a popular weekly podcast, The Way Home. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
