OPINION:
A new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that the number of white Americans who self-identify as Christian has fallen below the 50 percent line.
The reason? Mass immigration plus the rise of the “nones” — those who don’t lay claim to any particular religious beliefs — equals fewer white Christians. And while the survey is interesting, what’s even more interesting is that Christians are broken into skin colors for purposes of polling.
Somehow, surveying the number of remaining white Christians in America seems neither Christian nor American.
What would Jesus do?
Probably not care so much about the loss of white followers but rather the condition of His entire herd, sheep by little ol’ sheep.
Christianity is still the faith of choice for nearly 70 percent of American who profess belief in a higher power, the survey finds. But by skin color, “white Christians, once predominant in the country’s religious life, now comprise only 43 percent of the population,” The Associated Press writes, citing the poll.
And when you get to the snapshot of evangelicals, the white population really starts to fall.
Only about 17 percent those surveyed were so-called white evangelicals — compared to 23 percent just a decade ago.
By political party, the numbers really begin to show as disparate. More than a third of Republicans say they’re white evangelicals; nearly three-quarters, as white Christians. Only 29 percent of Democrats, meanwhile, say they’re white and Christian — down from 50 percent about 10 years ago.
So what’s it all mean?
There’s this, from Robert Jones, the chief executive of PRRI, who spoke of the near-30-year low of membership in the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant group with an overwhelming white majority: “So often, white evangelicals have been pointing in judgment to white mainline groups, saying when you have liberal theology you decline. I think this data really does challenge that interpretation of linking theological conservatism and growth.”
In other words: Take that, Southern Baptist, whiteys — the conservative view of traditional Bible-thumpers obviously isn’t resonating with America any longer.
Well, that theory only holds true if morals and values have a skin color. It’s not that the white Christian message is falling on deaf ears.
It’s that the teachings of Jesus, who respects no fleshly bounds, including skin color, have been increasingly pushed to the side by a lawless, morally bankrupt society that’s hitched its collective star to pagan pursuits.
There’s nothing particularly white — or lacking in whiteness — about that.
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