Why the Decrease in the Percentage of Christians in the US?

by Mike James

In the past I have written a couple of blogs on the decreasing impact of religion and Christianity in the Western world and some other places. This trend has been ongoing since the 1950s in the United States (US) and is even more dramatic in some predominantly Christian nations in other parts of the world. Back in the 1950s, over 90 percent of the US population claimed to be Christian, with those numbers down to over 60-some percent claiming Christianity now.

In a 1948 Gallup poll, only 2 percent of the US population claimed "no religion." By the late 1960s, about 4 percent of the US population claimed no religion. This number shot up dramatically by 2020, when over 20 percent of the US population claimed no particular religious affiliation. Researchers believe something occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s that led to this dramatic shift. What happened?

One reason for this increase could be that more people are being honest with pollsters about their religious affiliation. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, when most people were Christian in the US, those who may not have been completely committed to Christianity may have acknowledged the religion even if they were only nominally committed. As times changed and Christianity lost its popularity, more people may have felt comfortable to admit they were not truly engaged in the religion.

This is an important point. Many who were previously nominally Christian were surrounded by friends, family, and societal cues that promoted Christianity. But as things changed over time it became socially easier to not be Christian. This would then be like a rolling snowball effect getting larger. The more you see people who are not Christian, the easier it becomes for you to not be Christian.

Another interesting theory has to do with the Cold War. Some suggest that since the primary enemy of the United States from 1945 until 1989 was the Soviet Union, the atheism of the USSR may have played a role in promoting the role of Christianity in America. Keep in mind that the words "under God" were added to our pledge of allegiance in 1954 under President Eisenhower. This was influenced by the Cold War mentality prevalent at the time. Two years later, in 1956, the "In God We Trust" motto became official in the United States. The influence of us versus them—the Christians versus the godless communists—may have locked some people into sticking to their Christianity.

The biggest rise in people not affiliated with Christian Church groups comes from our most recent generations (Millennials and Generation Z—both born after 1997). Both of these groups were born after the Cold War ended, and they were not influenced as much by Cold War messaging.

A third reason for a decrease in Christianity in America may be due to experimentation with new religions in the '60s and '70s. Some of this experimenting started with the hippie and counterculture movement, but it also grew into new age religion, UFO cults, native American religion, and more.

A fourth reason some suggest is that the mainline churches began to alter due to the fact less people were interested in church. The growth of the mega-churches downplayed doctrine and focused on feel-good messaging. The old hymns were replaced by more contemporary music and less structure. The evangelical movement grew, but the mainline church groups that tried to alter things may have upset some of their people. As doctrines got watered down, mainline Protestant groups began to split.

There have been a number of exposes in the media that cast a negative light on Christianity. The sexual scandals of famous pastors and the Catholic Church have cast a negative light on organized Christianity—yet another reason some have moved away from the religion of Christianity.

Another point could be a reaction to a Conservative Christian message that began to formalize through men like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in the 1970s. As a reaction to the liberalism of the late '60s and early '70s, the Moral Majority and the 700 Club began to war with the counterculture movement. There is evidence that a rise in those with no religious affiliation were influenced by this.

Another interesting idea is that after 9/11 the greatest threat to the US for a time was a worldview based on a radical religious ideology. Some thinkers and writers began to promote the danger of radical conservative religious ideology of any stripe. This may have moved some away from religion in general.

The final example I will give in this blog is the rise of the Internet—possibly the biggest reason for this change. When we look at the timing of when things really began to change with the popularity of Christianity in the US, the 1990s to early 2000s, one of the greatest changes in humanity was just starting. How could the Internet play a role? By providing more knowledge and ideas at anyone's fingertips than ever before.

Not only can you see the promotion of all religion, but also the criticism of all religion. With the increase in data and information it is so much harder for people to find the truth and be influenced by errors. Also, any fringe or niche group or idea can also be promoted and find an audience by clicking into the worldwide web. This is yet another reason for a move away from Christianity. I will have more details related to all these reasons in an upcoming article in The International News.

Sources: "Decline of Christianity in the Western world," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_Christianity_in_the_Western_world#:~:text=Christianity%2C%20the%20largest%20religion%20in,2016%20and%2064%25%20in%202022.

Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America, by Stephen Bullivant, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2022).