Culture and Current Religious Affiliation

Is Culture Reshaping Religious Affiliation and Freedom in America?

by Christian union, first published in 2021; edited and revised 2024

Religious freedom is an expectation and reality in our country, but with a major shift in the cultural understanding of identity, some experts argue that religious freedom may be evaporating before our eyes. In an article from Gospel Coalition Australia entitled "Has Religious Freedom Had Its Day," writer Akos Balogh examines the cultural changes that are quickly reshaping the freedom of the Church in the west. 

Balogh points first to the rapidly changing identity politics. Where identity used to be formed by external markers like family, work, and church, the culture is shifting to define identity by how we feel internally. This change radically alters the ethics surrounding gender as well as how we conceive of oppression. Because we are so guided by our internal feelings, Christianity is not only viewed as threatening, but also as hateful because it calls some of our internal desires wrong.

Culture shifts like this one seem to be shaping religious affiliation in the US. According to 2024 Pew Research, when Americans are asked to check a box indicating their religious affiliation, 28% now check 'none.' This religiously unaffiliated group is now the largest cohort in the U.S. They're more prevalent among American adults than Catholics (23%) or evangelical Protestants (24%).

Christian Union is committed to teaching Biblical doctrine in some of the most secular and influential educational institutions in our nation, preparing a generation of leaders to be able to articulate their beliefs with Biblical conviction. Without intensive study, teaching, and discipleship, students can easily adopt the mindset of the culture around them. This work is challenging, but critical in a nation of spiritual decline. Christian Union aims to develop young leaders into mature Christ-followers who are growing in love of and devotion to God, so they may stand firm in their faith to extend the Kingdom of God in their spheres of influence.