The weird spiral of declining Christianity in America
The decline of American Christianity is continuing apace. The Pew Research Center reports today that the number of self-identified Christians has declined by 12 percentage points since 2012, while religious "nones" have grown by 10 points during that time. (Other surveys have shown similar drops.) Christians are still the dominant cultural group in America — at 63 percent of the population, they still have a two-to-one advantage over the non-religious — but they're not quite as dominant as they used to be.
The secularization of America is a long-term process and has many causes, and the percentage of Christians has been trending downward since Pew first surveyed the issue in 2007. Moreover, not everything in public life over the last decade has been about former President Donald Trump, even if it sometimes feels that way.
Still, Trumpism might be both the beneficiary and accelerant of Christianity's loosening grip on the culture.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On the one hand, a 2018 study suggested Trump's victory in 2016 was driven by a cohort — white Christian men — who feared they were losing their cultural dominance: Support for Trump was linked to a belief that "high status" groups actually faced more discrimination than "low status" groups like minorities and Muslims. "This sense of ownership of America just runs so deep in white evangelical circles," Robert P. Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute told columnist Michelle Goldberg earlier this year. As president, Trump cemented the loyalty of this group by fashioning his administration as a champion of "religious liberty," which was mainly a project to preserve the declining cultural power of conservative Christians. It worked: Some 85 percent of white evangelicals who attend services at least once a month voted for Trump in 2020.
Yet Pew's report suggests evangelicals are continuing to lose ground, albeit more slowly than Christianity at large, dropping from 30 percent of the population in 2007 to 24 percent in the new report. (Pew previously reported some conservatives have flocked to evangelical churches in recent years.) But many pastors report their churches have been riven by political conflict as never before, and there's anecdotal evidence that some young people are fleeing their churches rather than be seen as aligning with Trump's toxicity. Some researchers believe the decline in churchgoing is a repudiation of that brand of Republican politics.
White evangelicals are not all of American Christianity, of course. Catholics — who evenly split their votes in 2020 — have seen their numbers hold steady in recent years. But you can see where this is going: If Christianity's decline feeds Trumpism, and if Trumpism feeds Christianity's decline, then American churches might be locked in a nasty spiral, with the rest of the country along for the ride. God help us all.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is the Supreme Court about to criminalize homelessness?
Talking Points The court will decide if bans on outdoor camping are 'cruel and unusual'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans trying to change Nebraska's Electoral College vote?
Today's Big Question It's a chance for Donald Trump to block Joe Biden's path to re-election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published