In the 5th Century, Saint Augustine wrote The City of God. The book was mainly written
to defend the charge that Christians were responsible for the decline of Rome, but one
point Augustine makes is that even if Rome falls the City of God will last forever. The
same is true of the United States. If the U.S. falls to secularism, the City of God will
continue, but it will come with a major set back.
In 2010 the United States sent 127,000 missionaries overseas, 31 percent of the total. This is
more than any other country. Brazil sent the second highest at only 34,000. In the 200
year history of the modern missionary movement most missionaries have been
American.
Is America Becoming More Secularized?
The Center for the study of Global Christianity answers this question:
Yes and no. The United States has seen a dramatic rise in its nonreligious (atheist
and agnostic) population, from just 1.32% of the population in 1900 to 15.1% in
2010. Over the same period, Christians have dropped from 96.4% to 72.0%.
However, in terms of raw numbers, Christians are still the vast majority (nearly
250 million in 2010, compared to 44.6 million nonreligious), with great potential
for growth due to immigration from the global South (particularly Latin
America). The disestablishment of Christianity in the United States early in its
history makes the American case quite different from that of Europe.
Is Religious Decline in America Inevitable?
Ed Stetzer, an expert on the religious landscape and research in America, writes about
the future of Christianity in America: “American religion is simultaneously growing and
in decline. Fewer people claim to be Christians, but churchgoers—those who regularly
attend services—are holding steady in some segments, and thriving in others.”
Now is a crucial time in American history. There are places in America that need to be kept and other that need to be taken.
