OPINION:
Democrats’ historic victory at the polls on Tuesday has left many conservatives — and Christians — reeling. From shock over the blue wave that swept much of the nation to absolute horror over the flipping of once safely red states such as Texas, hopelessness has abounded.
But despite these losses and the consternation they have bred, there are deeper issues at play — some cultural happenings that should bring pause before panic overtakes right-of-center and faithful Americans alike.
First and foremost, politics is often simply an indicator of what people are thinking and feeling. And in today’s complex culture, it’s tough to determine exactly what’s going on.
People were interested in these podcasts
People are certainly disenchanted with the economy and the Iran war and are, in turn, rejecting the status quo. But that shouldn’t immediately lead to absolute hopelessness or the belief that people are, en masse, embracing evil ideologies, secularism or confusion.
Sure, it’s concerning that citizens are willing to give a pass to socialism due to political and cultural frustrations. But, despite some of the head-scratching decisions some are grappling to make sense of, there are signs and symbols that should give us hope.
Too often, we approach politics like it’s the end all, be all. But the reality is, politics is definitively downstream from culture — and culture is a collective of individual whims and beliefs. The only way to heal culture and, in turn, politics, is to reach individual hearts and minds with the truth.
And that truth can only come from the Lord, the source of all knowledge and wisdom. As culture battles between eternal reality and relativism, these fights will naturally intensify, but a true fix can come only by turning hearts and minds back to the Lord.
And while it feels the truth is evading us, a close look at the facts yields hope that the ship can be turned back around. The Pew Research Center just released new data that offers insight into the spiritual state of Americans.
“After a prolonged decline, religion in the United States has shown signs of strength and stability in recent years,” the report reads. “Since 2020, steady percentages of U.S. adults have said they identify with a religion, pray daily, consider religion to be very important in their lives and attend religious services at least monthly.”
Faith is the most important indicator of wellbeing, and despite political and cultural chaos, beliefs and practices are holding strong — and that matters.
Overall, 34% of U.S. adults told Pew in June that they had attended religious services in person during the previous month, with that number jumping to 45% when including those watching a religious service online or on TV.
What’s most notable is that these statistics have increased in recent years.
“Both numbers are at their highest levels since the center started asking these questions in July 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak,” Pew reported.
Young people, a cohort heralded for a supposed deep interest in faith, are a mixed bag right now. Forty-one percent of those aged 18 to 22 are attending church, mosques, synagogues or other houses of worship at least once or twice a month, compared to just 33% of the general public.
But those a bit older, between the ages of 23 and 26, are the least likely to see faith as important, to identify with a religion and to pray.
Ultimately, young people offer a complicated picture of faith in America, and further analysis is needed.
That said, the steadiness overall of U.S. adults’ religious adherence is noteworthy. Faith simply isn’t dying in America, and that should be both an encouragement and a motivating factor.
Americans are open to the divine, and since we know that God is the only way we’re going to heal our land, Christians should see these statistics as a clarion call — a bullhorn blasting through apathy and complacency.
Now is the time to reach all Americans, both young and old, with the timeless truths of Scripture. Many people are hyper-fixated on politics and the midterms, but if gas prices and a war are enough to turn people away from truth and goodness, we have to get to the deeper roots.
Christians must step up, spread the Gospel and disciple others. Rather than starting with politics, we must begin with the heart. Once that changes, everything else will follow.
Right now, the church is ill-prepared. It’s impossible to reach others if Christians themselves are steeped in confusion. Just consider some reports indicating that just 4% of Americans have a biblical worldview — or the equally concerning Lifeway Research survey that recently found that two in three U.S. churchgoers would fail a biblical literacy test.
It’s time for Christians to crack open their Bibles, truly learn the Gospel and get committed to reaching people. That’s how we get back to being a shining city on the hill.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is also the author of four books.
Follow the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.