The End of White Christian America?
The end of White Christian America?
As a white Christian living in America I was curious to learn more about the new book The End of White Christian America. It’s written by Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which keeps a finger on the numbers that describe America’s religious folks.
Eight years ago, when President Barack Obama was first elected, white Christians (Catholics and Protestants) made up 54 percent of the country. Today that number has slipped to 45 percent. That’s a significant change.
During that same time, as the number of white Christians dropped, the culture changed dramatically. Gay marriage is the law of the land, the concept of gender identity is becoming normalized, and words once forbidden in public discourse are now celebrated as cool on the most elevated stages – remember the White House using #BFD to celebrate one of the vice president’s famous unscripted open mic fumble?
The fascinating numbers continue. PRRI finds nearly 80 percent of white evangelicals believe they’re discriminated against, nearly 2/3 are bothered when they encounter immigrants who speak little or no English, and 70 percent say the country has changed for the worse since the 1950s.
They're the numbers behind the general feeling of "something is happening," they help explain the frustration fueling the wild presidential primary season we've just experienced, and they also factor into the deep-seated racial tensions currently plaguing the nation.
I found it all pretty eye opening. I hope you'll watch my interview with Robert Jones and consider reading his book, The End of White America.
-Jennifer Wishon
