For generations, the United States proudly declared itself “under God.” Churches stood at the heart of communities, guiding moral values and uniting families around truth. But as faith wanes and compromise grows, the call to return to the whole counsel of God has never been more urgent. The Great Commission to go, make disciples and teach all that Jesus commanded requires more than selective faith. It demands conviction, courage and an unshakable stand on truth.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Christianity is on track to lose its majority status in America by 2070. According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of Americans identify as Christian today compared with around 90% in 1970.
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Pastor Brent Madaris of Hometown Hope Ministries warned that this should serve as “an urgent call for church renewal,” adding that believers have “taken their eyes off the ball while rival faiths gain ground.” Islam, in particular, has seen steady growth fueled by a younger demographic, higher birth rates and conversions, especially in prisons.
While Muslims remain a small minority, about 4 million compared to roughly 200 million Christians, their numbers are increasing each year.
The contrast between Islam’s expansion and Christianity’s decline highlights a troubling reality. The number of mosques in the U.S. rose 31% between 2010 and 2020, while roughly 1,500 Christian churches closed in that same period.
“Pastors are not preaching the whole counsel of God,” Madaris told the Daily Mail. “Seminaries are certifying people to lead churches who have no business doing so. Church youth groups major on games, attendance and fun rather than truth, biblical depth and spiritual fruit.” His words strike at the heart of the problem: a church that entertains rather than edifies will not endure.
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Dr. George Barna, Director of Research and co-founder of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, agreed that “American religious stability is becoming increasingly shaky.” He pointed to a mixture of causes: “the rise of Islam and New Age religions, shifting identities among traditionally Christian Hispanics and a broader cultural loss of confidence in organized religion.”
Barna warned that “the continued decline is neither surprising nor something that is likely to change in the near future unless dramatic changes are made.” Families, he said, have relaxed their spiritual standards, and many parents no longer raise their children in the church.
Beyond the loss of numbers lies the deeper threat of syncretism, the blending of faiths into something unrecognizable. Madaris explained that, unlike Islam, which maintains “strict adherence across generations,” American Christians have begun to “pick and choose which parts of doctrine to follow.”
Barna added that “the blending of faith beliefs and practices from numerous competing religions into a customized faith unique to that individual has already profoundly infiltrated and redefined the American Christian community, replacing biblical Christianity with its idiosyncratic approach to life.”
In short, many have traded truth for comfort and commitment for convenience.
There are flickers of hope. A renewed embrace of Christian values is emerging among younger conservatives, signaling a hunger for moral clarity. Yet as Barna noted, these movements have not yet shifted national trends. Christianity remains the largest faith in America, but its cultural influence is fading as younger generations drift, and the so-called “nones” who reject all religious affiliation are projected to become the majority by 2070.
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The decline is not irreversible. “The continued decline doesn’t have to be inevitable,” Madaris said. “We need to reclaim lost ground.”
That starts not with entertainment or compromise but with repentance and obedience to the Word of God, every part of it. The Great Commission calls for believers to preach the truth in season and out of season, to teach all that Christ commanded, and to hold firm against the tide of cultural drift. Only then can the church rise again, not as an echo of the world but as a light that pierces its darkness.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
