New Study Shows Greater Ambivalence to Christianity

An excerpt from my article in Charisma last week:

Although twice as many Americans say they have no faith compared to 1990 there’s a new hope on the charismahorizon.

Are Americans becoming disillusioned by religion?

According to a new study, detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), released last week, traditional religion is playing less of a role in American life. More people are opting for non-religious weddings and funerals (30 and 27 percent respectively).

In just 18 years, the swing is significant, revealing that despite nearly 50 million adults added to the U.S. population by growth and immigration, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.

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4 thoughts on “New Study Shows Greater Ambivalence to Christianity

  1. That’s a great article—one that connects at various points with issues I’ve been thinking and writing about lately.

    A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about the ARIS study results (http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=296). My sense is that belief might be on the decline, but painful pruning is often what brings redemption, new growth and hope. I don’t know exactly how that will manifest itself, but I was very interested to read about the Transformists in your article.

    And along those lines, I also just wrote a post yesterday about labels, and how difficult it is to find one that succinctly and clearly describes who I am and what I believe. (http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=312) Although “Christian” seems like a very straightforward term—and it is in that I am a follower of Christ—it still carries so many different connotations for so many people. The Transformists seem like a very good fit for me—I’m definitely going to learn more about them. Thanks for your article!

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