In case you haven’t noticed yet, the latest Religion Landscape Survey from Pew Research recently came out. PJ Media’s Rick Moran covered it in a recent article, in which he wrote, “the last four years have seen the number of Christians hold steady, hovering between 60% and 64%.”
In some ways, it looks like a plateau, while in other ways, it looks like Christianity is making a comeback of sorts. Of course, my friend and colleague Stephen Kruiser and I argue in the latest episode of “Faith All Over the Place” that we shouldn’t call it a comeback — we Christians have been here for years!
(While we’re quoting LL Cool J, let me say, “I gotta thank God / ’Cause he gave me the strength to rock hard.” I’m sure Kruiser would agree.)
Previously on Faith All Over the Place, Episode 4: We're Just Glad We Don't Have Diabetes
Kruiser and I also discussed the reasons why it looks like faith is “on the rise” (even though we still argue that faithful Christians haven't diminished as much as the media would like you to believe). I shared the not-so-shocking divide between the percentage of conservatives who call themselves Christians and liberals who identify as such, and we speculated whether there’s a “shy liberal Christian” contingent that won’t speak up to pollsters.
We had an interesting discussion about parts of the world where Christianity is thriving despite persecution and difficult conditions, which shows that Christianity thrives in adversity. We even got ecumenical and wondered why some faithful Jews don't support Israel, which served as a tease for something I'm thinking about writing later this week.
We also discussed Lent, which I think is the topic of next week's episode. We'll reveal what we're doing for the season — that's right, even I'm taking part this year! We closed things out with a discussion about Pope Francis — a topic we’ll return to in a future episode — and we speculated on papal succession when the pontiff does pass away.
As always, you can listen to "Faith All Over the Place" on our Podcast page, on Apple, or on Spotify. Or you can listen here:
Our faith podcasts, "Faith All Over the Place" and "The Intersection of Faith and Politics," are always in front of the paywall. These free podcasts are PJ Media's gift to you, and they come courtesy of our VIP members who make so much of what we do not only possible but loads of fun.
Here’s an example of the fun our VIPs have. One of our VIPs commented on the last episode, “I don't know, the people in those ads for diabetes drugs all seem happier than I am, dancing and singing about their A1C and all. Plus, they are always doing something really fun.”
Of course, VIP Platinum members can message us directly with prayer requests, praise reports, and ideas for guests or specific topics surrounding faith, and we'd love to hear from you. So feel free to message us to say hello!
If you're interested in joining us as a VIP member, this is a great time! We're running a podcast special where you can get 50% off a new membership with the promo code FAITH. Join in the fun!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member