So was it a shock to see the headlines about how Americans’ belief in God has dipped to a new low? According to a new Gallup poll, it has dropped 6 points to 81%. At least it’s not as bad as in Europe, where belief in the God of the Bible is only 26%. Yet in America through the 1940s to 60s it was 98%. Just 11 years ago it was still 92%. Most disturbingly, only 68% of young adults now believe in God. The poll concludes: “While belief in God has declined in recent years, Gallup has documented steeper drops in church attendance, church membership and confidence in organized religion, suggesting that the practice of religious faith may be changing more than basic faith in God.”
Since there’ve been plenty of doctrinal, social, & scandalous reasons to mistrust “organized religion,” it’s no wonder that people are turning away from God Himself. In 1965, 70% said religion was “very important” in their life; but it began declining to 52% in 1978. Between 1990 and 2005, it hovered back up around 60%, but then began declining again until now it’s only 49%. I’ve certainly seen it with my own eyes over the course of my parallel lifetime.
I wonder if there’s any connection with another Gallup poll from last month that says a record-high 50% of Americans rate U.S. moral values as “poor”. 37% say it’s only “fair” while 12% rate it “good”. 1% rate moral values here as “excellent.” Hmmm. I wonder what God would rate our nation’s moral values as? Not only do Americans think morals are bad now, but they’re pessimistic about the future, with 78% saying they’re going to get worse & only 18% saying they’ll get better. Another study showed that 74% of American teens & young adults embrace moral relativism-that there’s no objective truth.
So much of this can be traced to the doctrinal & moral drift of so much of American Christianity. That’s why we stress the importance, inerrancy, & infallibility of Scripture which guides our morality, informs our decisions, and governs how we talk about issues & how we treat people.
Just because something is legal doesn’t make it moral. And even when something is made illegal it doesn’t mean it’s immoral. The only legitimate moral law comes from God. If human laws are not grounded in the objective standard of God’s laws, then there’s no solid foundation for order in society. If it becomes subjective & subject to change, who’s to say what’s right and wrong? Whoever’s in charge at the time…or whoever people vote to be in charge.
When people experience more of the ill effects of a society that rejects God, they’ll hopefully be more open to turning back to Him. And of course, God can intervene anytime to bring either judgment or awakening which spurs on the next revival. Atheism will never prevail. God’s “been there, done that” in many eras & cultures throughout history. He will prevail & the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church.