It is hard to argue against the idea that America is, or has been, a “Christian” nation since it’s founding. Yet, when the American Religious Identification Survey came out a few years ago, everyone got excited that the number of Americans claiming “None” as a religion had doubled.
But, what about those “atheists” in America? George Barna is a Protestant who keeps his finger on America’s religious pulse. One out of four Americans who do not attend worship are either atheists or agnostics. That means that 75% of the “Nones” are not atheists. They simply do not worship anywhere on a regular basis!
Who are these skeptics? Barna reports that they are generally young (under 30), college-educated, women, and Asian-Americans. Hispanics have become more skeptical, as a group, but along with Blacks, they are still the least skeptical demographic.
Why are these skeptics skeptical? Barna reports three components: 1.) They reject the Bible; 2.) They do not trust the local church; 3.) The secular culture reinforces a secular worldview.
We need to show our family and friends that “church” is meaningful and worship actually enriches and changes our lives. The community has to see that our Christianity impacts our behavior toward the community in positive ways.
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).
Each of us needs to be a worker in the harvest. Jesus’ words are as true today as they were 2,000 years ago.
Paul Holland
