Being Christian in America ain’t what it was.
It used to mean going to church and Sunday school, doing some volunteer work there, and reading the Bible -- and believing in it.
That’s all changed in the last 20 years, says The Barna Group in its sixth and last report on its "State of the Church 2011" series, measuring changes in Christian circles since 1991.
Roughly four of five Americans call themselves Christians, Barna says, 10 percent more than two decades ago. But of the activities associated with Christian living, participation has gone from majorities to minorities.
Most still agree that God is an all-wise and all-powerful ruler. But those numbers, too, have slid. And only 43 percent agree that the Bible is accurate in all it teaches, 10 points down from 1991.
"Self-Identified Christians" is one of four apparently overlapping "faith tribes" examined in this final report from the Ventura, Calif.-based Barna. Here are some results from the other "tribes."
Protestants register 20-year drops in three "church-related behaviors" measured by Barna: church, Sunday school and volunteer work. The one practice where they’ve risen is being unchurched -- from 17 percent to 24 percent.
As for beliefs, Protestants are pretty definite about being Christians: 86 percent accept the label. And more of them -- 33 to 38 percent -- accept responsibility for evangelism. But shrinking percentages agree that the Bible is totally accurate.
Roman Catholics have seen an uptick in making a "personal commitment to Jesus Christ," up 7 points to 60 percent, and a eight-point rise in meeting born-again criteria. Yet they’re less likely to attend church or believe the Bible is totally accurate.
"Born-again Christians" now make up 40 of all American adults. But they, too, show a 20-year drop in attendance at church and Sunday school, volunteer work and Bible reading. And 19 percent -- five percent more than 1991 -- don’t go to church, except for special occasions.
In his comments on this study, Barna repeats an earlier theme: Many of the changes happened between 1991 and 2001, with the faith groups stabilizing since then. For instance, many of the Catholic downturns happened then, but have held steady since 2001.
One unexpected finding: Despite the "substantial cross-pollination" between Catholics and Protestants over the last 20 years, they still stand apart stastically. Protestants are several times more likely than Catholics read the Bible, to attend Sunday school, volunteer at church and take responsibility for sharing the faith, Barna reports.
He sounds a note of anxiety over the "growing complacency" indicated by the growing number of born-again adults who don’t believe or behave like Christians. "Many ask for God's forgiveness, but few are willing to suffer and sacrifice," he says.
The idea of tribes is taken from Barna's 2009 book "The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter." And this whole six-part series on the "State of the Church 2001" study is a promotion for Barna's newest book, "Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World."
Well, what the hey. Barna is a first-rate researcher, and the church world is better for his work.
James D. Davis
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