A recent report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University explains the “shocking” level of “depravity” in American society, describing the failures of Christians to maintain a biblical worldview.
“Corrupt politicians, dishonest journalists and media outlets, broken social institutions, immoral religious leaders, unconstitutional government programs and policies, and more, have generated non-stop headlines highlighting the decadence of American society and the demise of the United States,” the report says.
The report asserts that the “indisputable cultural decline” is directly linked to the “spiritual collapse of Christianity in the nation.”
In the last 30 years, the report describes, evangelical Christians have undergone a “dramatic transformation” in the United States. “In reality, evangelicals are far fewer in number than typically reported, often are far less biblical in their thinking than one might think, and tend to vote in far fewer numbers than expected,” it says.
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While evangelical Christians are generally a conservative voting bloc, the group tends to reflect “fewer lifestyle differences from the culture than often thought.
“Surprisingly, most evangelicals do not possess a biblical worldview—only about one-third do,” the report notes. “In fact, the data strongly suggests that evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them than they are to influence or ‘evangelize’ it.”
While some surveys report evangelical Christians making up anywhere between 25% to 40% of American adults, only about 10% of American adults are likely evangelical Christians.
About 30% of identifying evangelicals believe truth is subjective. As the report explains, beliefs about “absolute moral truth” are “pivotal” for any society. That evangelicals disagree on moral truth is a “matter of grave concern,” the report emphasizes.
“[A]lmost half of the adults attending evangelical churches (44%) believe that there is no absolute moral truth that is pertinent to everyone in all situations,” the report continues. “It is even more dire among the nonevangelical public: Just one out of every four people (24%) in that vast population reject the idea that moral truth is always subjective and conditional.”
“[M]illions of evangelicals do not vote (a practice of every good citizen and those seeking to serve their community); believe the animist and Eastern mystical perspective that that animals, plants, the wind and water have unique spirits; do not pay much, if any, attention to news about politics and government that affects their lives; and who read the Bible on occasion, but not on a daily basis, even though the Bible encourages us to immerse ourselves in God’s words to us,” the report adds.
Christians also have a responsibility to be politically engaged, the report notes. Evangelicals have unfortunately failed in that area, however.
Only one-third of evangelical Christians are “very likely to vote in the 2024 general election.” One out of every five “prefers socialism to capitalism.”
George Barna, the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University, said the “entire faith matrix of America is frighteningly complex.”
“How many people realize that a substantial majority of all non-evangelicals in this country (62%) are self-identified Christians?” Barna asked. “That means most of the people who describe and think of themselves as Christians either do not embrace Jesus as their Savior, or the Bible as God’s true and relevant Word for their life, or the responsibility of sharing the opportunity to be saved from sin by Jesus. In fact, the largest share of that group rejects all three of those evangelical—and biblical— standards!”
This article originally appeared on American Faith, and is reposted with permission.
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