During the last two decades, Americans’ belief in spiritual realities fell dramatically. In the early 2000s, belief in God stood at over 90%, roughly where it had been for many decades. According to Gallup News, by 2023 it had fallen to 74% — still a majority, but a big decline. Gallup reported that in 2023, 69% of Americans believed in angels, 67% in heaven, 59% in hell, and 58% of Americans believed in the devil.
Belief in God is foundational. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Basic belief can be the beginning of a beautiful faith journey, but there’s much more. James 2:19 warns, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble!”
In John 14:1, Jesus takes it further. He said, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” It’s crucial that belief in God include belief in Jesus.
In John 3:17-18, Jesus said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
A more telling statistic than the percentage who believe in God would be the number who take Him seriously enough to regularly gather with others for worship and exhortation. For most Americans, that means “church.” Gallup reports that two decades ago, 42% of Americans regularly attended services. Ten years later, that number had fallen to 38%. By 2023, it was down to 30%. Not only did it continue to drop, but the rate of its fall increased.
Simultaneously, people have grown more dissatisfied with life — less happy, more fearful, more likely to consider or commit suicide. Mental health maladies are up in almost all categories. Starting in 2015, life expectancy began going down. This trend started five years before the first US Covid death. The CDC blames this primarily on three things — a rise in drug overdoses, suicides, and liver disease (which they attribute to an increase in alcohol consumption). All of these factors relate to mental health problems, increasing stress, and a lack of fulfillment and meaning in life.
Is this just a big coincidence? I think most people look at these statistics and see the obvious correlation. The population feels increasingly fearful, angry, dissatisfied, and unfulfilled. This happens at the same time large numbers turn away from God and church. The correlation is no fluke. They are obviously related.
The Answer is Jesus. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16). He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). There is no other name given by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). If you want to change the world, tell people about Jesus. Not only can He change their lives here, but also their eternal lives.
