Kanye West released his much-anticipated album on Friday, “Jesus is King.” It’s primed for a #1 debut on the Billboard 200. In the album, West proclaims the supremacy of Jesus Christ in his life in a journey toward Christianity that appears to be genuine, yet radical: “I bow down to the King upon the throne. My life is His, I’m no longer my own,” West sings in one of his new songs.
Sadly, West might be more of an anomaly than we thought. Fewer Americans than ever are on board with religion. A new Pew Research Center survey reveals Christianity is declining at a “rapid pace.” Can America, a country with a deep religious heritage, survive without it?
According to Pew, only “65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade.” Meanwhile, the number of people who are unbelievers, or who are unaffiliated with religion, has gone up, from 17% in 2009 to 26%. Both Protestants and Catholics are losing converts, while those who are agnostic or atheist are growing.
In the last 10 years, regular church attendance has also declined significantly, according to Pew: “In 2009, regular worship attenders (those who attend religious services at least once or twice a month) outnumbered those who attend services only occasionally or not at all by a 52%-to-47% margin. Today those figures are reversed; more Americans now say they attend religious services a few times a year or less (54%) than say they attend at least monthly (45%).”
Knowing the numbers is one thing, but it’s important to understand why this is happening, and, if this trend continues, to figure out if America can thrive without a religious center.
There are a myriad of reasons why religion is declining in America, but there are two main primary ones worth mentioning because the effects of this could be mitigated, although a complete reversal might be impossible at this point.
As this piece from Religion News Service points out, the first are factions within the Christian churches that could be causing people to become dissatisfied with religion. There are some on one side of the debate who believe Christianity is too rigid, and those who believe Christians aren’t firm enough in their beliefs.
America has encountered a range of Christian denominations that espouse anything from “prosperity gospel” to dress codes and range from welcoming gay and transgender members to condemning them. Hypocrisy exists in many people but definitely marks church leaders, especially as sexual abuse and the awareness of it have increased. It’s hard to trust a church or a faith that has knowingly covered up a leader who has engaged in sexual abuse.
The second is the secularization of public schools in America, which 91% of children, including my own, attend. Historically, children received a classical, Christian-based education with an emphasis on reading, writing, and math — all from a Christian worldview. Now, the majority of public schools have removed God, both as an active effort to indoctrinate children and out of a somewhat feigned concern for the Constitution’s Establishment Clause.
In removing prayer, the Bible, and any mention of God or Christianity when teaching history and science, the effects on children have been swift and dramatic. Several generations have received an education devoid of God and often encouraging secularism. It’s no wonder their children and their grandchildren want nothing to do with God.
Both of these things could slowly change, but this would take significant effort.
Fixing education, especially given the alarmism over potential violations of the separation of church and state, will be especially difficult. It’s tragic that even in history courses, America’s Christian heritage is discussed in hushed tones, if at all. Children in public schools should learn about our devout Christian Founding Fathers and that America was founded because of the intense desire for religious freedom. This can easily be done without “establishing” a religion and violating the First Amendment.
As for Christian factions, that’s just as difficult to fix. It’s hard to address all the factions that have developed within so many denominations. However, if the last couple of years have taught Christians anything, it’s that it’s vital that Christian churches, both Protestant and Catholic, stand firm within their beliefs and take a firm stance against abuse of any kind — spiritual, financial, sexual, emotional, and physical. If God can convert, change, and completely radicalize a man like Kanye West, surely he can guide America’s leaders into a kind of Christianity that reflects Him better.
It’s unfortunate to see the rate at which religion is declining, and it’s essential that our country retains its Christian heritage and value system. It guided the Founding Fathers to pen the Bill of Rights, and it’s guided a democracy that has enabled people to live in a free country. America cannot turn its back on religion, it provides the moral center upon which many of our values rest.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
