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If you read the breathless coverage earlier this week from the mainstream press over the Pew Research Center’s newest Religious Landscape Study, you might believe that religion in America is in deep trouble – specifically Christianity, from which we’re told millennials are fleeing en masse:
“Millennials leaving the church in droves, study finds,” CNN splashed across its website.
“Millennials are giving up on organized religion,” proclaimed Business Insider.
“Big drop in share of Americans calling themselves Christian,” crowed the New York Times.
As Scooby-Doo might say: Ruh-roh.
The headlines may sound grim, but believers need not be troubled – a deeper analysis of the findings shows that not only have reports of Christianity’s imminent death been greatly exaggerated, we may be seeing early evidence of a pendulum swing that could lead countless souls back to the Church in the years to come.
First of all, about that “sharp drop” in Christian belief? Let’s see what Pew has to say about it:
“To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americans – roughly seven-in-ten – continue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith,” Pew admits in a summary of its findings (emphasis mine).
“But … the percentage of adults (ages 18 and older) who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to 70.6% in 2014.”
So, while roughly 784 out of every 1000 Americans identified as Christian in 2007, only 706 said the same in 2014?
Shocking.
Now, to be fair, any decline in the number of Christian faithful is cause for concern. But let’s look more closely at the data. Where did all these Christians go? Have they turned their backs on God completely? Continue reading
Sources
- Aleteia
- Image: The Catholic Leader
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News category: Features.
