I’m gonna go out on a limb here. America is on the verge of a great spiritual awakening unlike any other in history.

During the pandemic a surprising thing happened. As churches, mosques and synagogues closed their doors, many Americans experienced a bolstering effect on their faith life. A Pew Research Center survey indicates that nearly three-in-ten Americans (28%) report the strengthening of their personal faith in God. And a similar number thought that the overall faith of Americans has grown. These findings are counter to the prevailing thought that faith in America is dying. Maybe we are now seeing the end of that long decline.

The Seven Sisters: Christian Demominations in America

In religious circles, the main line Christian denominations are known as “the seven sisters”. They make up the largest denominations in the US and include The American Baptist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of American and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Rise in the “Nones”

Despite the news you hear about the demise of American faith traditions, faith life continues to play a major role in the life of many Americans. Nearly half of Americans (49%) say that their faith is very important to them. That’s compared to other countries where faith plays a lesser role. In Australia only 20% claim faith as an important part of their life. The Asian countries are even lower with 17% in South Korea and only 9% in Japan.

However, in some countries people report the pandemic brought about a religious rebirth. For example, 17% of people living in The Netherlands say their country has grown more religious. In Sweden, 15% of the Swedish suggest that religious faith has grown stronger.

Back in the US, American Pastors report similar trends. Fifty-five percent of 18 to 44-year-old pastors say their church is growing, while 33 percent of pastors 45 and older say the same.

Evangelical churches are more likely to be growing (42 percent) than their mainline counterparts (34 percent).

Some younger Americans who have found faith are steering away from “the seven sisters” denominations. They’re flocking to a different type of church, one without an affiliation to a mainline denomination. These folks are known in church circles as the “nones”, not the nuns. Different thing altogether.

Those “nones” attend non-denominational churches like Northpoint Community Ministries in Atlanta. They were the fastest growing church in America in 2021. Their Sunday services average over 40,000 attendees, many of them “unchurched” until they found Northpoint.

Why We Need a Spiritual Awakening

Many of the “unchurched” have never attended an organized religious service. Some of the blame for this godless existence falls at the feet of parents. The parents of Gen Z and Millennials did less to encourage active attendance at formal worship services. That has translated into two generations without any foundation of faith in their lives. With a godless sample size of two generations, and the world in turmoil, it should be easy to grow a congregation today

Not surprisingly, the millennials make up the largest population of nones. As my friend Michael Chaiken said recently, “younger people are realizing that the current order of things being dictated by the media, politicians and celebrities is failing them. The millennials, in particular, are seeing skyrocketing rates of mental illness and suicide. They’re yearning for something else to center and ground them.”

I wrote about this thirst for spirituality and meaning a few weeks ago in a piece called The Incredible Power of Personal Solitude.

That statement by Michael Chaiken and the supporting data informed my thinking on this subject. While the news media suggests that religious faith is dying, that isn’t entirely accurate. It’s more accurate to suggest that religious faith is in a state of transition. Many are moving away from “the seven sisters”. These denominations have become mired in political squabbles that make your head spin off your neck. Issues like same sex marriage and ordination of gay and lesbian priests and ministers. Some denominations have developed policies and positions on climate change, restricting the investment of pension funds away from companies contributing to global warming. It’s truly the sausage making of mainline religion. And, it’s turning people off.

Just yesterday, a bombshell story broke about the 13 million member Southern Baptist denomination. Apparently their governing body maintained a secret list of more than 700 abusive pastors. Rather than fire the sexual predators, the church chose to quietly shuffle abusive Pastors to other congregations.

Loss of Trust

Scandals can certainly damage the reputation and drive away the faithful. But, some of this resistance to mainline denominations is a function of our collective loss of trust in our institutions. It’s on a downward trend. Twenty years ago every American would have gladly lined up to get as many Covid-19 vaccinations as the government deemed necessary. (You got the polio vaccine, right?) But, things are different today. We’ve simply lost faith in our government, elected officials and the national media. Many people simply feel duped by these three “pillars of truth”. Studies suggest we’ve even lost trust in each other. What a shame.

Moving On

After two years of hand-washing and social distancing, we finally have a reprieve from “14-days to stop the spread”. But, ironically, we have simply moved from one crisis to another. Enter monkeypox, baby formula shortage and $10 a gallon gasoline. Not to mention the world’s supply of wheat has about ten-weeks remaining. Start sharpening your elbows cause you’ll soon be hip-checking your neighbor for the last loaf of Roman Meal bread at the grocery store.

Universal Human Law

C.S. Lewis argued in Mere Christianity that there is a universal law of human nature. A sense of justice and peace. Basically an internal litmus test we all apply that allows us to inherently know right from wrong. And, that litmus test is something we all apply simply by virtue of being human.

But, today, people are starting to wonder if everyone got the memo. Crime is up. Murder is up. Gasoline is up. War is up. Food prices are up. Everything is up, except the stock market. The stock market is not up. Things just aren’t going as planned anymore. And, the universal sense of right and wrong seems to have been lost. Where is the justice? Where is the peace?

Spend $200,000 on an elite liberal arts education and your life will be set, right? At least until you cannot afford to pay for rent and groceries and gas and still have enough money left for anything fun. Invest 7% of your pre-tax earnings in a 401k and you’ll retire rich and early. Except the stock market is down 20% in just a few months. Be a victim of a crime and the perp will go to jail. Except today’s criminals are released on a “signature bond” with a promise to return to court. Many don’t. Where is the justice? Where is the peace?

And, we are watching a modern day Adolf Hitler kill thousands of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children with total impunity. Destroying entire cities and towns with no military significance. Where is the justice? Where is the peace?

Yes, it seems as if the universal understanding of justice and peace have been tossed aside. And, that is making people incredibly anxious and unsettled.

That’s where I think the window opens. See, we’ve been operating in a world on auto pilot. A world where we truly believed our own bullshit. As if we were personally responsible for everything good that happened to us. A world where justice and peace were the norm; unilaterally applied on earth. A world where everyone respected the same sense of justice and peace; the same sense of right and wrong.

But, now, things are a mess. Evil isn’t dead. It never was. Even after we washed our hands, socially distanced and got jabbed. It just doesn’t seem fair to us. Justice and peace, it seems, are on sabbatical.

The simple truth is that the justice and the peace are not here on earth. They never were. The justice and peace are in heaven, where everyone will be held to account. There are no signature bonds in heaven. And, that realization is bound to sink in to American’s hearts and minds soon. When that happens the doors will be open. And, we will see a spiritual awakening like never seen before. Stay tuned.

My writing is intended to be a conversation. I started the conversation, but you have to participate below. That’s how we figure things out together. You do not have to use your real name. Are we headed for a spiritual rebirth? I want to hear from you. Leave me a comment below. I promise you’ll hear back from me.

Have an idea for a story? Leave me a message below. Or, connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, my Facebook Group, Pinterest, Medium, and Instagram.

Are We on the Verge of the Greatest Spiritual Awakening in American History?