The Decline and Fall of Christianity in America

For decades, “vibe shifts” and “quiet revivals” notwithstanding, religion in America has been on a downwards trajectory. Belief is in decline, as are belonging in religious communities and institutional trust. Weekly church attendance, once a normative part of respectable American life, has collapsed. Gallup data from 2020 revealed that, for the first time in U.S. history, fewer than 50 percent of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque. Confidence in organized religion has also plummeted dramatically, as clergy, once among the most trusted professionals, seem increasingly to be the targets of suspicion.