I find your lack of faith...disturbing.
Darth Vader
So is the world becoming more religious or less? The answer is, yes.
It is true, the non-churchgoing population in the U.S. and Europe is increasing and each successive poll reveals a growing number of Americans who say they have no religious preference. At the same time certain churches with supposedly outdated beliefs in a trustworthy bible and in the miraculous are growing in the U.S. at the same time they are exploding in places like Africa, South America and Asia. Even in the dauntingly secular halls of academia faith is on the rise among the faculty. Today the Society of Christian Philosophers (founded in 1978) includes more than 10 percent of all the professors of philosophy in the country which is up from less than 1 percent 30 years ago.[i]
The real story in all of this is that the world is getting both more religious and less religious at the same time. In one way Christians should take heart, because, in spite of frantic claims to the contrary, the church in America is not yet on her last leg. Still, in another way we need to be serious and wise in the way we navigate this faith/doubt divide. We serve a Savior who calls us to go into all the world making disciples. But how do we do we make disciples or even talk about faith when a good portion of people we rub shoulders with not only don’t believe but look down on people who do? It was hard enough to talk about faith when most people at the least had some respect for our worldview.
A comprehensive answer to these questions won’t work in one post, but I think I have a starting point and it begins with reevaluating doubt. People can no longer sail along too busy or too unconcerned to ask difficult questions about why they believe as they do. Doing so will leave you defenseless against the inevitability of tragedy and the relevant questions of smart skeptics. I have seen too many people crumble under one or both of these certainties simply because they have never explored their own doubts. We also, as loving neighbors, need to wrestle with the sincere doubts of our friends and family members. In light of the polar tensions of faith and doubt it is no longer sufficient to get by on beliefs that we have merely inherited. Wrestling with difficult questions now will not only help strengthen your faith, but it will also help you humbly and respectfully approach those who doubt.
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15
[i] Quenton Smith, “The Metaphilosophy of Naturalism” It should be noted that Smith is not at all sympathetic to Christianity, but has some strong statistics in this paper.
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