Christianity in the United States: Decline and Revival

Christianity in the United States seems to be undergoing a somewhat conflicted phase. At the same time, it is easy to argue for both its decline and its revival. How can these two realities coexist at the same time? Could it even be the case that the decline is one of the chief reasons for its revival?

I was recently made aware of a C.S. Lewis article from 1946 discussing this phenomenon of religious decline and revival in England, and it struck me as extremely pertinent today. At that time, Oxford changed chapel attendance from compulsory to optional, and a huge decrease ensued. Empty chapels were a common sight, and the decline of religion became a topic of conversation.

Something similar has happened in the United States recently with the COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing shutdown of churches, and the removal of the obligation to go to mass on Sunday. After the pandemic, church attendance fell significantly to pre-COVID levels, and in many ways, it still has not recovered today. The decline of religion.

Looking at the Catholic Church alone in the United States, decline seems most obvious. Any glance at church participation and involvement numbers shows they are dramatically lower than they were just 50 years ago, and they are only trending in one direction. At the same time, looking at the Catholic Church in the United States, it also seems obvious that revival is happening. Over the past 30 or so years, incredible organizations, lay and clerical, have started and are growing at extraordinary levels. The life and dynamism of Catholicism is incredibly vibrant, especially among different lay movements.

The decline of Christianity seems more revealing than anything else. As Lewis observes, “The new freedom first allowed accurate observations to be made. When no man goes to church except because he seeks Christ, the number of actual believers can at last be discovered.”

It is an uncomfortable truth for many, but a truth nonetheless: a lukewarm and lackadaisical Christian, one who lives out and practices their faith in inconsistent and menial ways, is not a true believer. In the past number of decades, and especially during COVID, religion may not have further declined as much as it revealed the number of true believers.

Here, C.S. Lewis brings together two fascinating quotes from Jesus: “This happens in the history of every Christian movement, beginning with the Ministry of Christ Himself. At first, it is welcome to all who have no special reason for opposing it: at this stage he who is not against it is for it. What men notice is its difference from those aspects of the World which they already dislike. But later on, as the real meaning of the Christian claim becomes apparent, its demand for total surrender, the sheer chasm between Nature and Supernature, men are increasingly ‘offended’. Dislike, terror, and finally hatred succeed: none who will not give it what it asks (and it asks all) can endure it: all who are not with it are against it.”

When the masses follow Jesus Christ, in many ways, it becomes easier to critique Christianity because large numbers claim Christianity without an authentic witness to it. When Christianity dwindles, and true believers are more evident, it becomes more credible because those who claim it tend to live it throughout their lives. This fierce and unfailing devotion to Jesus Christ, and the witness it gives, is what helps lead to revival.