American Culture

“The decline in church membership appears to be primarily a result of more Americans expressing no religious preference….Most of the rest of the drop can be attributed to a decline in formal church membership among Americans who do have a religious preference…. Those in older generations who were likely to be church members are being replaced in the U.S.

“Church members are in the minority for the first time in at least eight decades, with just 47 percent identifying with a congregation, Gallup said in a poll released [March 29]. The number was 70 percent in 1999.” - BPNews

“The truthfulness of the resurrection is not as controversial today as many Christians may assume. The bigger issue, however, may be helping Americans recognize the relevance of Jesus rising from the dead.” - LifeWay

“Most pastors have several moments each week when they shake their heads in sorrow at something they’ve seen a church member post on social media. The last year—in which churchgoers spent less time in face-to-face fellowship and more time than ever in ‘fellowship’ with the social media mob—has made the problem worse. What can church leaders do about this?” - 9 Marks

“As Evan Koons explains in the film, ‘Simply put, we are being called by God to spend the remainder of our days serving our captors, working with them (not fighting them or conforming to them or fleeing from them – but serving them) and compromising nothing.’” - Acton

“We live in a highly individualistic culture. Of all the cultures that have ever existed in the history of the world, this is the most individualistic. Our natural pragmatism asks, ‘What’s the most efficient way to get things done?’ and the local church doesn’t look the most likely vehicle for changing the world.” - Colin Smith

“15.9% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ— significantly higher than millennials (9.1%), Generation X (3.8%), baby boomers (2.0%), and traditionalists (1.3%).” - LifeWay

“In all of this, Evangelicals come across to the general public as mean-spirited, hypocritical in their claims to be moral, and insincere in their professed allegiance to Jesus. I’m not saying this is accurate–I think it shows great misunderstanding–but this is the perception.” - Veith

“We are often despised not so much for following Jesus, but for NOT following Jesus, though we say we do. What I’ve heard is accusations that Evangelicals do not really believe what they say they believe.” - Veith

“Home has become our stadium and athletic arena. We have become accustomed to viewing sporting events rather than attending them…. home has become our fitness center, since we elected to buy a Peleton bike rather than keep our gym membership. And, of course, the home has become an office for millions…. We are in a post-place world.” - Thom Rainer