Is America Becoming More or Less Christian?

Before I speak at a seminar or in a church, I often say that my wife and I came to America from Australia 15 years ago “as missionaries to a ‘pagan’ culture.” Chuckles often spread across the auditorium—then people usually start to clap.

Yes, America has been a great Christian nation. So the idea that it needs missionaries evokes chuckles. The audience recognizes that America is no longer the Christian nation it once used to be.

Then I say to the audience: “America has the greatest number of churches in the world—and the greatest number of Christian resources and Web sites. Tell me, is America becoming more Christian or less Christian every day?”

I always hear an unhesitating and resounding: “less Christian!”

We are also seeing an increasing anti-Christian sentiment in society. Why? Here’s the answer I give: “I believe the ‘world’ has touched the church rather than the other way around. Instead of the church being salt and light to the culture, the increasingly secularized culture is contaminating the salt—conforming the church to the world.”

For 25 years—my last 15 based in America—I have been challenging the church to understand that compromise with evolutionary ideas (like millions of years) has been very dangerous. A belief in absolutes from God’s Word will decline as people begin to believe that man can determine ultimate truth. The more the church compromises with man’s ideas, beginning with Genesis, the more we will see subsequent generations reject other parts of the Bible.

Consider this from Barna Research Group:

• “Only 9% of born again teens believe in moral absolutes versus 4% of the non-born again teens.”
• Shockingly: “One-third of the people who currently align with non-Christian faiths regularly attended a Christian church while they were growing up. [Also] . . . several million atheists and agnostics grew up regularly attending Christian churches.”

I believe that the materials produced by AiG, our Creation Museum under construction, Web site, radio programs and seminars, etc., are at the front lines of the battle. And people are getting saved:

“If it had not been for your ministry and the abundant grace of our Lord, most likely I would still be a lost soul on my way to Hell. I have now started leading a Sunday school class [and we have] watched your “Dinosaurs in the Bible” video.”
–M.B., Indiana

Isn’t that a blessing? AiG is seeing souls saved while confronting compromise! Please help me call the church in the US and all over the world to repentance. Your partnership will fight compromise, help restore a belief in the Bible and proclaim the Gospel.