First, read this new study from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center if you would. It was all over the news yesterday...
Here, in a in a nutshell, is what they found:
Ugly right? Well, a few things should jump out at the Bible-believing Christian. First and most obvious, not everyone counted in the Christian category is Christian!
Second, there are two categories of great concern: Protestant Evangelicals and Protestant Historically Black. Generally speaking, these two groups (ranging from Southern Baptists to the Church of God in Christ or COGIC) would be those who hold to the doctrines of Inspiration, Inerrancy, Infallibility, and to a lesser extent, Sufficiency as they relate to the Scriptures.
But the above graph doesn't tell the whole story. Yes, even those two groups are declining as a percentage of population (the bad news!), but....
And...
Bottom line, those who believe the Bible is the literal Word of God and who are trying to uphold everything it teaches are holding on or even growing, even in the midst of the massive falling away around us! God is faithful to His people!
Nevertheless, there are many noteworthy things in this article that require prayerful action:
- The greatest losses are in the younger demographic
- The "Unaffiliated" categories are absolutely booming
- Although 70% of Americans claim "some form" of Christianity, only about one third of the nation is holding to Biblical truth.
And for for those of us working on family reformation, this graphic should have particular meaning:
Yep...we've been Called to Battle!
Lots to think about here. For one, even in the two groups I singled out for hope, wide variances exist in how the Gospel is viewed, family is taught and ordered, biblical worldview is inculcated, etc.
The bottom line I think is we need to repent, pray, and live our lives by Scripture. The big black gates remain. We need a reformation in key foundational areas. I actually wrote a book about this (smile). The article simply confirms what we and many more have been saying and affirms the need to keep preaching and living by the whole counsel of God.
Oh Lord, help us in this hour. We need Thee.
