OPINION:
In 1897, author Mark Twain responded to an article in the New York Journal reporting he was on his deathbed by writing to the paper: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Although that quote has been restated erroneously over the years, the gist remains: Twain was alive and well despite what the paper said. The young reporter who wrote the story about Twain’s demise had confused Twain with an ill cousin. He jumped to a conclusion before thoroughly checking the facts.
In many ways, those who have been reporting on the demise of American Christianity have been doing the same thing. In their eagerness to make the point they seek — that American Christianity is dying — they have missed that the exact opposite may be happening. Instead, Christianity is thriving.
Yes, the number of Americans who said they were Christians has declined over the past several decades, but that does not mean those who said they identified as Christians were adhering to the core beliefs of the faith. For many, their faith was based on tradition rather than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Pew Research Center has published its Religious Landscape Study, showing that the decline has stabilized. Although the numbers are problematic for young adults, many of whom were raised in nonreligious households, the young adults who call themselves Christians are taking their faith more seriously.
Any decline is within mainline Protestant denominations that have become increasingly leftist in their beliefs. The percentage of evangelicals has risen as a share of all Protestants.
Even The New York Times has taken notice. Its religion reporter, Ruth Graham, wrote: “For decades, social scientists, demographers, and Christians themselves have told a familiar story about the state of Christianity in the United States: The country was rapidly secularizing. … Now that narrative is changing. After years of decline, the Christian population in the United States has been stable for several years, a shift fueled in part by young adults.”
Ms. Graham quotes Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University, who observes that the number of “nones” who claim no religious affiliation has slowed or stopped. He states, “We’re entering a new era of the American religious landscape … and that’s a big deal.”
This news is incredibly encouraging. For years, we have witnessed continued moral and cultural decay in American society as mainline Protestant churches abandoned biblical truth and began preaching more about left-wing politics rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By seeking to conform to the culture rather than confront it, they have lost their moral voice, as Americans quit listening to leftist platitudes that had no basis in biblical truth.
Many young adults have taken notice. When one engages in conversation with them, it quickly becomes evident that they are rejecting shallow platitudes, moral hypocrisy, and messages that are anything but biblical and embracing genuine faith, moral certainty and meaningful relationships. They are no longer interested in “playing church.”
This is the real story that those reporting on the slow death of Christianity have missed, just like the young reporter did when he erroneously wrote about Twain’s premature demise.
If Pew’s research is correct, we are becoming a nation whose faith is more than just a mile wide and an inch deep.
In Matthew 21:18-19, Jesus curses a fig tree because it bears no fruit. In contrast, in John 15:5, he notes that if a tree abides in Him, it will bear much fruit. The tree analogy sums up the state of the American church. Churches not bearing fruit are dying, but those that abide in Him are growing and thriving.
Instead of withering away like a diseased tree with dying roots, American Christianity is healthy because its growth comprises people developing deep spiritual roots that will keep the church from toppling over regardless of the prevailing cultural winds. Ultimately, it is not about the number of trees but about the strength of each tree and the fruit it bears.
Our culture and society will reap the rewards of the fruit that emerges from a healthy American church and strong, robust faith. That is why I am encouraged by the Pew report and why the church will continue to live and thrive, regardless of reports by those who would like to see its demise.
• Timothy S. Goeglein, vice president of Focus on the Family in Washington, is the author of “Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned Into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive the American Dream” (Fidelis Publishing).
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