The Direction of American Religion

Christian Revival Marred by Drifts from Sound Biblical Teaching

According to Barna Research Group’s latest data, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today. That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, when commitment levels reached their lowest in more than three decades of Barna tracking. Surprisingly, this revival is strongest among young men aged 30 or less. Christian commitment among this generation has risen from 52 percent in 2019 to 67 percent in 2025. There are now more men attending church than women. Church attendance for both men and women under 44 has almost doubled from 12 per year in 2020 to nearly 23 per year in 2025. Some of this is due to the Covid crisis of 2020, but it now compares favorably to 17 to 19 per year for older generations.

This also coincides with the growth of the Turning Point USA movement established by Charlie Kirk, who strongly emphasized Biblical Christian teachings in his leadership. His assassination on September 12 has actually accelerated his teachings and the growth of Turning Point USA, which is now being led by his very capable wife, Erika Kirk. 

The Pew Research Center has some possibly contradictory evidence on church attendance for this generation, but the data is not comparable—it defines church attendance differently.  A February 2025 Pew Survey of 37,000 American adults found that 62% identified as Christians. This had dropped from 78% in 2007. [Part of this decline was probably due to immigration.]  However, according to Pew, the decline began to level out in 2020.

The Barna Group, however, has noted a disturbing drift from Biblically based doctrinal beliefs in the United States:

The Prevalence of Syncretism—the blending of multiple, often contradictory, belief systems—is a dominant worldview in America, with a large percentage of people, including many Christians, holding syncretistic views rather than a Biblical ones. 

Declining Biblical Worldview: The incidence of a Biblical worldview among American adults, parents, and teenagers has steadily declined over the past few decades.

Focus on Individualism: American Christianity is increasingly shaped by individualism, with many people "picking and choosing" theological views they find helpful, rather than adhering to a unified biblical perspective based on Scripture. 

Influence of Competing Worldviews: Research indicates many American Christians have been influenced by ideas from non-biblical worldviews such as New Spirituality, Postmodernism, and Marxism. 

This week, Ligonier Ministries in conjunction with Lifeway Research research.lifeway.com. published a survey of 3,001 US adults age 18 or over on 35 questions covering their beliefs about God, the Bible, and Salvation. The survey was conducted and coded so that the data could compare the overall survey results with different sub-groups identified in the data sets, related to age, gender, region, education, income, marital status, ethnic group, religious affiliation, church attendance, and beliefs.

While this survey showed many of the basic fundamentals of Christian doctrine were comparatively strong, and in many cases stronger than expected, it also showed that many American Christians are not well versed in important Biblical teachings. This has led to the drift of American Christianity away from Biblical truth about God, Christ, the Bible, and Salvation. This drift is substantial among Evangelicals as well as other Christian groups. It confirms what the Barna Group has found—American Christianity is rife with false and dangerous syncretism marked by an alarming secularism and a decline in a Biblical Christian World View.  

Lifeway Research analysis focused on the belief of those defined as “Evangelicals,” but the data can be used for those identified as Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, predominantly African-American churches, etc. “Evangelical” is a term that crosses over many religious groups, including many Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and other groups. Lifeway used four questions to identify strong Evangelicals. Of the 3,001 US adults surveyed, 637 or just over 21 percent were identified as strong evangelicals.  Using these same four questions just over 12 percent of Roman Catholics meet the Lifeway criteria for “Evangelical.” and Catholics gave the same answer as Evangelicals in from 24 percent to 36 percent of each of the four questions. Barna and other research firms may define Evangelical with other questions giving a narrower or broader definition. Using what I consider the three clearest questions, perhaps as high as 27 percent of Catholics could be considered “Evangelicals.”

Here are the four Lifeway Research Statements defining evangelical beliefs:

Q32 The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.

Q34 Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.

Q35 Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

Q33 It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Question 32 on the authority of Scripture was a filter question for Evangelicals and 100% strongly agreed. This also applies to the other three filter questions.

In the US adult population, 36% strongly believe in Biblical authority in their lives, 24% somewhat agreed, 15% somewhat disagreed, and 25% strongly disagreed.  The total strongly agreed and somewhat agreed was strongest in the South with 74% and weakest in the Northeast with 54%, yet a majority in all sections of the country. A remarkable 24% strongly agreed with the Biblical authority statement in the Northeast.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,”—2 Timothy 3:16.

Question 34 on salvation by Christ’s sacrifice alone was strongly agreed to by 41% of the US adult population. Another 22% somewhat agreed. Thirty-six percent of Roman Catholics strongly agree with this, with another 33% somewhat agreeing. Regionally, 54% of those in the South strongly agreed. Strong agreement in the Midwest was 39% and 30%for both the West and Northeast.

Question 35 was somewhat stricter stating that by God’s grace and trusting in Jesus Christ alone do we have eternal salvation. Thirty-five percent of American adults strongly agreed and another 22% somewhat agreed. This was most prevalent in the South with 46% strongly agreeing and another 25% somewhat agreeing, totaling 71%.  In the Midwest, 34% strongly agreed, in the West 25%, and in the Northeast 24%. The total of strongly agree and somewhat agree was 53% in the Midwest, 48% in the Northeast, and 45% in the West.  Twenty-seven percent of Catholics strongly agreed and another 31% somewhat agreed, totaling 58%.  The total was 68% among Mainline Protestants! In Black Protestant churches 64% strongly agreed and another 28% somewhat agreed, totaling 92%. In Evangelical churches, 65% strongly agreed and 25% somewhat agreed, totaling 90%.  Among white Evangelical church members, 71% strongly agreed with another 17% somewhat agreeing, totaling 88%. The total was 55% for Hispanic ethnics.

“For it is by grace alone you have been saved, through faith—and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance for us to do--Ephesians 2:8-10.

Question 33 dealt with the importance of personally encouraging non-Christians to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.  Thirty percent of American adults strongly agreed and another 23 percent somewhat agreed. This was strongest in the South with 68 percent either strongly agreeing or somewhat agreeing.  This ran to 85% in Evangelical churches, 77% in Black Protestant churches, 64% in Mainline Protestant churches,  and 55% in Catholic churches. The total for Hispanic ethnics was 50%.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

—Matthew 28:18-20

The Lifeway Research results also reflected the syncretism and declining Biblical literacy noted by the Barna Research Group.

Question 2 indicated that 55% of American adults strongly agree that they  believe in the Holy Trinity of three Persons--God the Father, God the Son (Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. However Question 9 indicates 58 percent of American adults strongly or somewhat agree that the Holy Spirit is not a Person but only a force. More alarmingly, 53% of Evangelicals also believe the Holy spirit is only a force. But 36% of Evangelicals strongly disagree with the Holy spirit being only a force.

Scripture, however, clearly indicates the Holy Spirit in a Person and not an impersonal force. This is made obvious in the books of Isaiah, Acts, Ephesians, Hebrews (where He speaks) and other Scripture. .  For example, Ephesians 4:30:

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Agreement to false statement Q3 of the survey, saying that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,” indicated many Americans and even Evangelicals have begun to accept a major secular heresy—another indication of Biblical illiteracy and widespread syncretism.

Forty-four percent of American adults strongly agreed and another 21% somewhat agreed to this false syncretistic statement.  More alarming, 35% of Evangelicals strongly agreed, and another 12% somewhat agreed. Eight percent of Evangelicals said they were not sure. Thirty-five percent strongly disagreed, and are absolutely correct according to Scripture. Another 10% somewhat disagreed.

John 14: 6: “Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father accept through me.”

Acts 4:12” “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name in heaven given to men by which you must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Statement Q6 is false, stating that “God loves all people the same way.” Yet 90% of Evangelicals strongly agreed with this statement. Again, they are imposing a false but popular secular belief on their Christianity, which is clearly contradicted by Scripture. This is another combination of choosing secular popularity over Biblical literacy and commitment to truth.  

The Bible makes a clear distinction between God’s love for all mankind and His particular love for His children. This is evident from a huge number of Bible verses.  Psalm 147:11, for example, says:

“But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those whose hope is in His steadfast love.”

Another alarming indication of Biblical ignorance and secular confusion was statement Q7, which stated:

“Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” This is ignorance, confusion, and heresy indeed, but 24% of Evangelicals strongly agreed. Fortunately 64% strongly disagreed. Twenty-eight percent of American adults strongly agreed; another 21% somewhat agreed. However, 30% percent strongly disagreed that Jesus was merely a great teacher.

In John 10:30, Jesus told his disciples: “I and the Father are one.”

False statement Q15 says, “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”

However, this completely contradicts Scripture and the foundation of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of sinners, for all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course^[a of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”—Ephesians 2:1-3

Paul reminds us in Romans 1: 18 that “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…”

Yet 56% of American adults, and even worse 58 percent of Evangelicals, strongly agreed with this popular secularized version of American religion, However, 27% of Evangelicals, but only 13% of American adults strongly opposed this statement. America is in danger of building its own heretical imitation of Christianity through Biblical ignorance and desire to please the secular world. 

Mankind was made in the image of God, but that dignity has been marred by our sinful nature and consequent sins. The Gospel is that sinners can and need to be saved by the Grace of God alone through Faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.

The recent Lifeway Research Survey also has interesting results on moral and Christian living issues.

These include abortion, marriage, sex, homosexuality, gender ideology, church attendance, personal struggles, and everyday problems of life and faith. This will have to wait for a later article.  

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.—2 Timothy 2:15.