Stetzer’s survey is largely about U.S. Protestantism, and much of what he depicts will be thoroughly familiar to religion-watchers, notably the long-running and unprecedented decline of “mainline” and liberal churches, and the growing numbers of “nones” who tell pollsters they have no religious affiliation. He finds it conceivable that the “nones” could even become a majority among Americans someday, and says “the church’s influence on Americans is beginning to fade.”
Nonetheless, he contends that the cup of U.S. Christianity is kinda sorta half full. The data present “a more complex reality. ... American religion is simultaneously growing and in decline. Fewer people claim to be Christians, but churchgoers – those who regularly attend services – are holding steady in some segments and thriving in others.”
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