A Word from Pastor Ben

Recently, Ryan Burge, a research director at Faith Counts, posted a survey titled “The share who believe in God without a doubt.” The survey focused on political affiliation and belief in God without a doubt. The data spans 1988 to 2022. During that time, the three categories of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents have all experienced changes that show that people believe less in God without a doubt. I found this study interesting. To understand its significance, let us go back to 1988.

It is hard to believe I was not even born when this data was collected. However, I can speak from life experience that the world has changed significantly since I was born. For example, Blockbuster stores are gone; growing up, it was a fun Friday trip to get something to watch over the weekend; now we have more streaming services than we can keep up with, and we are sucked into hours of streaming movies and shows. We went from wall-tethered phones and slow dial-up internet to phones with faster internet and more power than our parents and grandparents could have imagined in the ‘80s. The point is that the world has changed a lot since 1988.

The data shows that in 1988, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents were within seven percentage points of each other in their belief that God exists without a doubt. Republicans came in at 66%, Democrats at 63%, and Independents at 59%. In other words, the vast majority of voters agreed that God existed without a doubt. It is important to remember that this is not to say that all of these people were Bible-believing Christians. It only points out that most people believe in something greater than humanity. They did not doubt that a God existed.

It shows us that the parties, while very different even then, agreed to some degree that a God existed. However, a decline occurred over the following years, eroding that unifying point.

According to the survey, there has been a decline across the board for those who say they “believe in God with-out a doubt,” none more significant than the Democratic Party. Let’s jump into the numbers, starting with the group with the least considerable decline and working toward the most significant.

Republicans
Something of note: from 1988 until 2005, voters in the Republican Party saw a slight increase and a steady consistency above 66%, identifying as believing in God without a doubt. Yet, after 2005, they have seen a consistent fade and now sit at 63%, saying that they believe in a God without a doubt. In general, the decline has not been as severe as some of the other parties. However, we would miss understanding the numbers if we ignore the growth of those who believe in God from 1988 to 2005. The data shows that they were around 68% and 69% percent at the most substantial time of those who said they believed without a doubt; this means that the party has seen a decline since 2005 of around 5% to 6%. Even if we keep our focus on the numbers for 1988 and 2022, it still shows a 3% decline. While not as significant as other groups, it indicates fewer voters state they believe in God. Now, let’s look at the second group.

Independents
Independents have a different trajectory. They had a slight uptick in the early 90s, but then it was like someone had let off an accelerator, and they have been coasting and slowing down. In 1988, they were at 59%, and today, they are at 51%; as Burge notes, it is a decline of 8%. Basically, for independents, half believe without a doubt there is a God, and the other half don’t know or reject there is a God. I find this interesting because they have experienced a slow, methodical fade over the years, which brings us to the last group.

Democrats
The most significant change is within the Democratic Party. Remember, in 1988, they were at 63%. In 2022, they were a meager 39%. They have experienced a decline of 24% over the last 34 years. Compared to the other groups, the fall has been dramatic and has only continued to accelerate. To further put this in perspective, 61% of the party now says either that they are not sure or that they don’t believe in a God at all. Needless to say, the decline has been significant.

It can help explain the divisiveness in our society. While data only gives us a glimpse of a picture, I believe it helps us understand why our society is so divided. Essentially, our political parties are in spiritual decline. So much so that one political group is no longer composed of people who primarily believe in a God. When we reject that there is a God, it makes it easier to believe there is no absolute truth, and as a result, you have an easier time justifying godless ideologies. It creates even more divisiveness because the political parties are not discussing issues from similar convictions. The life experiences, social norms, personal ideologies, priorities, and policies will vary widely, leading to greater difficulty working together. Ultimately, divisiveness is inevitable when you have different groups of people with wildly different worldviews. They have different goals, missions, and ideologies, and their views are no longer rooted in the reality that there is a greater power than them-selves. If the trend continues, our political system will only become more radicalized across all party lines. It shows us that more people are unsure what to believe. It shows that our society is less sure what to believe about God. They are falling into either doubting God’s existence or rejecting that God exists entirely. As a result, there is a more significant divide between Christianity and the society we call our temporary home. Our convictions should not be the same as those who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord. Our convictions ought to stem from what the Bible teaches. The divide between faithful Bible believers and society will only grow without revival and a great awakening. Cultural Christianity is dying out, and I believe that is a good thing. Christianity is not a culturally cool thing to be a part of; it is a life transformation that occurs when a person repents of their sins, receives the grace of God, and is forgiven of their sin. Also, the gospel historically has thrived when persecution has been present because you see the true faith of the genuine believer on display.
Also, it reminds us that Christians have a role to play.

Americans, made up of our neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers, are all represented in this research. They either believe without a doubt there is a God, aren’t sure, or deny He exists altogether. Our responsibility is to love these people and show them that God loves them by preaching, teaching, and living out the truth about Jesus. The society where the vast majority of people believe without a doubt that there is a God that is real is fading, if not gone entirely. We have a responsibility to share the truth in love. We cannot sit back and allow godlessness to run amok without speaking out what is righteous and good.

Look, everyone votes for different people and different parties for various reasons. Set aside the political nature of the data. What this data is saying is that Americans are drifting away from believing in God as a whole. Every political party had the drift downward. Church attendance is drifting downward. The decline is real.

Churches need to be doubling down on biblical truth. We cannot compromise on truth. Otherwise, we will be found presenting a watered-down version of Scripture that ultimately will not save anyone. Yet, it seems that more churches, with each passing year, move the needle more liberal, compromising on Scripture to the detriment of Scriptural truth. If we compromise, we might fill churches with people, but what good is filling our church with individuals who will never know the truth because it was lost in the drift? What good is it to have packed rooms here on earth, but the people will never step foot in heaven?

We need faithful men and women who will hold to the Word of God and proclaim it to the world around them. We also need churches that stand firm on what the Bible teaches and reject the temptation to fade with the culture. Are you willing to stand firm on Scripture truth while the world fades away?