On May 12, the Pew Research Center shocked the religious world with its headline, "Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow" (http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/). This was so big that it not only lit up the Internet, but mainstream news outlets reported and opined on it.
Now that the dust has started to settle, I shall chime in. I offer my theory alongside all of the other theories about why this shift is happening. And my theory isn't based on research; it's based on 40 years of ministry experience and observation.
With few exceptions, I have observed that when both parents love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbor as themselves, most of their children do, too. It's that simple. This is not true 100% of the time, of course, but in my experience and observation, it's true most of the time.
When mom and dad pray, worship, tithe, go to church, love their neighbors as Christ would -- most of their children follow suit. I saw this in my family of origin, in my wife's family of origin, and in the extended families in the four churches I have served (three in Indiana and one in West Virginia).
The bottom line is -- if you want to see a return to Christian faith in America, it starts with fully committed Christ following parents. Period.
OK, so enough of my non-scientific, non-research-based rant. Let's look at one paragraph in the Pew study that is consistent with my theory:
Religious intermarriage also appears to be on the rise: Among Americans who have gotten married since 2010, nearly four-in-ten (39%) report that they are in religiously mixed marriages, compared with 19% among those who got married before 1960.3 The rise in intermarriage appears to be linked with the growth of the religiously unaffiliated population. Nearly one-in-five people surveyed who got married since 2010 are either religiously unaffiliated respondents who married a Christian spouse or Christians who married an unaffiliated spouse. By contrast, just 5% of people who got married before 1960 fit this profile.So what happens in a religiously mixed marriage? I don't know, but chances are that you don't have a mom and dad who are both following Christ and working together for the spiritual development of their children.
And before you call me a bigot for "being against intermarriage," let me quickly say that I'm just observing. Choices have consequences. If you want to see more adults following Christ, then they need to start out as children following Christ. And if you want to raise Christ following children, then you need both a mother and father who are Christ followers. That's all I'm saying.
So I for one was not shocked when Pew released its report. Anybody with eyes open saw this coming. And if we don't return to the precepts of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, we are very likely to see a continued movement away from historic Christian beliefs in America.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deut 6:4-9, NRSV
