Christianity in America Isn’t Under Attack. It Is at a Crossroads. – Good Faith Media

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by Jerome Enriquez John | Dec 2, 2025 | Analysis
Public debates about Christianity’s place in the United States often settle into two predictable extremes. 
One side insists the faith is collapsing, while the other argues it remains firmly entrenched and unchallenged. The truth, especially for those committed to a justice-centered, Christ-shaped witness, lies somewhere in between.

Christianity is not being persecuted in America. Churches are free to worship, religious speech is protected, and Christian voices remain influential in public life. Yet Christianity is undeniably at a crossroads and the data makes that clear.
According to the most recent Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, only 62% of Americans identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007—a dramatic shift documented in Pew’s analysis. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated now make up 29% of the country, as outlined in Pew’s Religious Landscape Study Executive Summary.
These shifts are visible across all major Christian traditions. Pew’s report on Religious Identity in the U.S. shows declines among Evangelical Protestants, Mainline Protestants, and historically Black Protestant churches, while Catholic affiliation also shows a slight decrease. 
Major news outlets reinforce these findings. PBS NewsHour summarizes the changes in the  U.S. Christian Population Leveling Off After Declining for Years and The Washington Post adds national context in Christian Population Appears to Stabilize.
Practices such as prayer and attendance are also shifting. Pew notes only 44% of Americans pray daily, and just 33% attend services monthly, insights expanded in the executive summary. Additional reporting from Religion News Service highlights how worship habits are changing even among those who still identify as Christian.
Yet spirituality itself remains alive. Pew found that 83% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit and 86% believe humans have a soul. This is evidence that faith is not evaporating but becoming less connected to institutional religious life.
Taken together, these numbers show that Christianity in America is not under attack. It is transforming. 
The real danger is not persecution but distortion—a drift toward political tribalism, cultural nostalgia and fear-driven narratives that obscure the gospel’s call to humility, justice and compassion.

Christianity flourishes when it is rooted in service and community. It falters when defined by power or defensiveness.
Despite anxious headlines, the most authentic expressions of Christian faith continue quietly: congregations welcoming immigrants, volunteers feeding neighbors, advocates pursuing racial and economic justice. These acts rarely trend, but they remain the lifeblood of a living church.

The question now is whether this spirit of humble service will shape Christianity’s future—or whether the faith will retreat behind rhetoric about decline.
Christianity in America stands at a moral crossroads, not a battlefield. The data offers a wake-up call, not a death sentence.

If Christians choose fear, the faith will shrink into irrelevance. If they choose courage, compassion, and justice—the path Christ teaches—Christianity can remain a healing force in a fractured nation.
Jerome Enriquez John is an author and human-rights advocate whose work appears in Roy’s Reports, Youth Ki Awaaz, Healed Nations, and Christian Writers. He has published multiple books on Amazon and is known for commentary that blends rigorous research with a commitment to justice and marginalized communities.
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