America's Changing Religious Climate



Among Western nations, America remains the most religious of nations. But the makeup of America's religious presence appears to be changing. According to a new study, released today, by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, things are in flux.

According to this study, Protestantism as a whole is in decline. In the 1970s, Protestants made up around 2/3rds of the population. It's now down to 51%, with Evangelicals forming a slim majority. Roman Catholics make up 25% of the population -- holding steady over the decades only because of immigration. I found it interesting that about 10% of Americans are former Catholics. Unaffiliated is the fasted growing group, with 16% of Americans and 20% of men claiming this status. This is a growing trend.

We're likely to change our religious affiliations -- over 25% are part of a faith tradition other than the one of their birth (and that doesn't include inter-Protestant switching). Now, as for this statistic, I'm surprised it's not higher. Born an Episcopalian, I've been a Pentecostal, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, and a Disciple. I've switched plenty of times. My wife has, interestingly, returned to the denomination of her birth, but from about 8th grade until we returned to the Disciples after we got married, she'd been part of a number of Protestant groups.

The question that all of this raises concerns the future of faith. As I begin negotiating with a new congregation, I'm of course interested in what the future holds for the church -- especially Mainline Protestantism. Evangelicalism has grown in popularity, but as Stephen Prothero notes in comments found in the NY Times article, it maybe the personal nature of evangelical piety that has proven so effective.

I hope to talk more about this later as I get more information.

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