How Evangelical Conviction Is Standing Strong Against Evil
What is the church’s actual effect in the world today?
Jesus taught us in Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20-21 that His kingdom in the world is like leaven that quietly but powerfully enlivens a whole loaf. We don’t always notice its influence while it is working, but it is there. Jesus also said faithful Christians in the world are salt and light. As salt, we preserve and season the culture in life-giving ways. Sometimes we add flavor and other times we sting. We also illuminate, helping the world see the truth and beauty of God’s design.
Some new sociology of religion data from Ryan Burge, a statistician and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, demonstrates the church’s essential role in the world. His findings are notable as they lie in stark contrast to new Pew Research Center data on what Americans think is moral and immoral.
The Pew numbers are not encouraging. Only…
• 39% of Americans believe homosexuality is morally wrong.
• 52% believe viewing pornography is corrupting.
• 47% hold that getting an abortion is morally wrong.
• 35% believe ending one’s life with the help of a doctor is wrong.
• 29% think gambling is wrong.
• A meager 23% believe getting a divorce is morally unjustified.
Americans increasingly approve of things which reduce human well-being. But evangelicals are different, and that is good.
Professor Burge’s data demonstrates that, when it comes to convictions on abortion, redefining marriage and family and acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism, evangelicals are clearly distinct from the larger culture — and by strong margins.
When compared to those who hold no faith, or call themselves mainline protestants, Catholic or black protestants, evangelicals are dramatically less likely to support any of these things.
It is still a very real problem that 33% of people who identify as “evangelical” believe abortion should be legal, that 36% believe homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” are fine, and that 18% believe transgender ideology is good for society. However, evangelicals are clearly an important stopgap against American culture fully accepting and endorsing these dangerous ideas.
Professor Burge has additional data demonstrating it is not just an evangelical identity that galvanizes against increasing moral relativism. It is the actual practice of evangelical faith, demonstrating that evangelicals who attend church weekly are more than half as likely to disapprove of abortion, gay “marriage,” homosexuality and transgenderism compared with evangelicals who seldom or never attend.
Hearing God’s word taught weekly by faithful, bible-believing pastors makes a strong difference in how we view important moral topics. Weekly attendance also made dramatic, positive differences for Catholic and black protestant Christians — but not as strongly as it did among evangelicals.
When we look at what forms of Christianity are growing and shrinking in America and across the world, the distinctions are clear.
Liberal mainline churches are dying a welcome death. They are running out of pastors and people at a brisk clip. But conservative Christianity, which is essentially evangelicalism and certain faithful strains of Catholicism and Orthodoxy, are rebounding. So much so, that even The New York Times had to take notice. Just months ago, they observed,
But predictions that the Christian right would be moribund with Gen Z-ers have proved false. In the aftermath of Covid – and amid the longing for purpose, community and transcendence that many Gen Z-ers feel – a sizable minority of them have found their answer in conservative Christianity, fueling both a religious and a political revival among these young Americans.
In 2024, the Times also noted how growing numbers of young men attending biblically faithful evangelical churches in larger numbers than their female peers – a clear reversal over decades past – “has the potential to reshape both politics and family life.” As a South Waco, Texas pastor marveled, “What’s the Lord doing? Why is he sending us all of these young men?”
The fact is that Christianity is growing moderately in America, with evangelicals being among the strongest with a 1.47% annual growth rate. It has grown by 150 million adherents since 2000 and is expected to expand by another 200 million by 2050.
Add to that Pew Research Center’s report from late last year that “more Americans express a positive view of religion’s role in society.” By “religion” they mean Christianity, which is clearly America’s most dominant faith practice. And evangelicalism is the largest Christian identity in America.
But the really good news is how Christianity is experiencing very robust growth around the world. Christianity’s global growth rate of 0.98% outpaces the annual 0.88% growth of the world’s population. It is growing by even greater margins in Asia and Africa, by remarkable 1.6% and 2.59% growth rates, respectively. Atheism, by contrast, is declining by 0.2% annually.Those who say they have no faith are leveling off, and will soon start declining.
Evangelicals truly are the preserving salt and illuminating light of the earth’s culture, the active leaven that enlivens the whole loaf. And their influence is growing. We must remember, the same Holy Spirit that empowered the Church at Pentecost is the same power increasing Christ’s Church today.
The Holy Spirit has not grown tired or ineffectual. He cannot. He’s God.
Related Articles and Resources:
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Is Religious Faith Gaining Influence in America?
How Big is Your View of the Gospel?
The Cultural Paradox of Following Jesus Christ
The Church’s Lane is the Whole Cosmos
Appreciating the Full Scope of the Lordship of Christ – and the Gospel Itself
As Secularists Prep for the Apocalypse, Christians Must Have Strong Kingdom Theology
In Our Troubled World, Take Heart and Remember That Christ is King
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