This past weekend while in Leola visiting Evie’s mother I read in Newsweek an article stating that the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as Christians has decreased from 86% to 76% since 1990. That 10 point decline is nearly a 12% in an eighteen year period, or about .6% per year.
The decrease is not a result of immigration from the Far East of Islamic countries as the influx of Roman Catholics from Central America has been at a much higher rate. The Latino population is strongly church focused. What would have been the decrease if the Latino immigrants were not included in the calculation? The study has not examined that factor, but it does not take much to realize that the decrease is much more significant if one took out the Latinos population which has boomed in the last two decades. It may well be that decrease could be another 2 points lower.
The number of people who are not affiliated with any faith tradition has grown from about 8% to 16% of the population. Any observer of church attendance should not be surprised by the decline. As noted in prior blogs, church attendance has been declining, particularly in the mainline churches. The evangelical churches, particularly the Pentecostal and Southern Baptists streams, have not evidenced the same decrease but even there a close examination reveals that much of their new membership is drawn from people who have left the mainline churches. The demographics of the evangelical churches are also changing in that the ratio of the younger membership between the ages of 18 and 30 has been in decline.
The article notes that church attendance has not increased as anticipated during the economic crisis.
It is interesting that the decline has taken place during a period where the Moral Majority and the Christian Right has had a greater influence is American political life than it has ever had. The decline has also taken place during a period where the nation has had its most strident evangelical Christian.
The church is still a major factor in shaping society, but its influence upon the society as a whole is waning.
Reflective Wanderings - Reflections on various topics that arise out of my personal, life and professional experiences. There are also are some family related news, travels and pictures.
2 comments:
I think in Canada the numbers would be way worse than they are there.
I always enjoy reading such articles. Reg Bibby, a professor and socialogist from the University of Lethbridge is the most quoted and respected expert when it comes to the church in Canada.
What your article discusses is very much in evidence here in Canada. We are definitely much further down the path than the states when it comes to declining church attendance and identifying one self as Christian.
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