This week I learned about a new book by John S. Dickerson titled The Great Evangelical Recession.  This very well-documented analysis is a wake-up call for every born again Christ follower.  Among other things, Dickerson demonstrates: 

• The giving base for American evangelicalism will erode over the next few decades.
• Evangelicalism is losing 2.6 million per decade.
• The actual percentage of true evangelical Christians in the United States is somewhere around 10%.
• We are not winning new believers fast enough to keep up with the brisk population growth.
• Militant antagonism against evangelicals is increasing rapidly.
• The struggling evangelical church is divided from within, weakening our influence.

A few years ago I was challenged by some extensive research by the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) describing the significant decline of religion and the rise of secularism in America.  A summary of the study by USA Today (Cathy Grossman) states, “The percentage of people who call themselves in some way Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. The faithful have scattered out of their traditional bases: The Bible Belt is less Baptist. The Rust Belt is less Catholic. And everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers – or falling off the faith map completely.”

Experts agree that the cultural influence of Christianity is sliding as more people are describing themselves as non-religious (now at 15%).  The Washington Post commented, “The only group that grew in every U.S. state since the 2001 survey was people saying they had ‘no’ religion.”   Of course, more research is available affirming the same riveting trends.

The Concurrent Disappearance of Truth

At this same time The Barna Research Group released another study of the “Biblical Worldview” of Americans, finding that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. (To see Barna’s definition of this and the details of his study, go to www.Barna.org  – “Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians over the Past 13 Years”.)  Among “born-again Christians”, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.  Among the “Mosaic Generation” (ages 18 to 23), “less than one-half of one percent has a biblical worldview, compared to about one out of every nine older adults.”

An obvious question is: “What do we do about this?” Let me weigh in with a few thoughts.

A Few Misguided Responses

There may be a few instinctive reactions that we all feel.  I would not recommend the following:

Panic – While this negative news may be cause for concern, we are assured that God is still on the throne, truth ultimately triumphs over error, and light still dispels darkness.  We know from history that these trends could be dramatically reversed by another spiritual awakening in our nation.

Anger – Pointing a hostile finger at atheistic writers, the government, other religions, or the anti-religious sentiment in the media as the cause of this decline is irresponsible.  Our problem is not the pervasiveness of the darkness but the failure of the light.  If anything, we must be angry at our own failure to demonstrate the glory of the Gospel in ways that positively transform the culture.

Resolve – Another dose of fleshly cleverness, additional new and novel methods, and mere human resolve is not in order.  We have more education, money, technology, methodology, and refined technique today than at any other time in the history of the church, yet the impact of our best efforts are yielding disappointing results.  We are reminded of God’s clear word that it is “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zech. 4:6).  The Holy Spirit is still the “how to” for all our efforts.

Some Recommended Responses

Become Deeply Broken – I believe this is a time for us to return to brokenness over the spiritual condition of our nation, our inadequate impact on the culture, and our need to return to holiness, truth, and spiritual renewal.  God still resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). 

Become Increasingly Desperate – A well-known Ugandan pastor, who survived the tragedy of Idi Amin’s rule and then watched the spiritual resurgence of his nation, often issues this call to American Christians: “Desperation or devastation.”  Truly this is a good time to recommit to desperate praying for the spiritual revival of the church in America.  We must get to a place where churches are renowned as houses of prayer more than centers for programming and Christian entertainment.  This is a prime time for pastors to re-establish biblical priorities according to Acts 6:4 (“prayer and the ministry of the word’) and then lead their people into consistent, powerful experiences of balanced, biblical prayer.

Become Biblically Educated – While we know that “knowledge puffs up” (2 Corinthians 8:1) and that powerless theological education can be counterproductive – we still must be resolute as approved workers who are “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  We must demonstrate the power and value of a biblical worldview.  Then, as we “sanctify the Lord God” in our hearts we will “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks” for the reason for the hope that we demonstrate in this life.  We must offer these answers with “meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

Become Meaningfully Engaged – Prayer is not a substitute for meaningful ministry; rather, it is the source of spiritually-empowered ministry.  This is not a time to hide out, but a time to pray up and go out.  We need to engage with lost friends, the non-religious, and those who are ignorant of the real meaning of the cross.  They are not the enemy but are victims of The Enemy.  As Acts 4:13 demonstrates, we may not impress them with our own acumen or status, but we must impress them “that we have been with Jesus.”  Acts 4:20 gives us this example: “We cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  This boldness, experienced and empowered by our time in His truth and presence, is a positive force for transforming a culture in spiritual decline.

Become Spiritually Empowered – As we all “with unveiled faces” experience “as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” – we will be “transformed from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).  As a result, we will understand a new definition of ministry.  This ministry is described in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 with powerful verbiage that tells us that we do not lose heart, we expose the darkness with light, we are servants with a bold Gospel message, and we are shining with the glory of Jesus Christ.  That kind of living has the power to turn things around in our nation.

Bad News – Good News

Yes, the research is touting some bad news for people of faith.  But our hearts can interpret this as an opportunity for a fresh dose of good news.  We must become the recipients of this good work, then serve as catalysts of this good message, accomplishing great things in a culture that is still spiritually hungry and looking for real answers.