Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Careers, Workplace and Religion
A “Windex Cure” for America’s Moral Decline

A “Windex Cure” for America’s Moral Decline

Last updated on: July 15, 2015 at 10:41 am by Center for Faith and Work, LeTourneau University

A “Windex Cure” for America’s Moral Decline 2015-07-07T17:23:08-05:00 Center for Faith and Work, LeTourneau University

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Bill Peel

America is losing faith and becoming a secular nation — but I believe there’s a cure.

Escalating racial discord, the ethical failure of leaders in public and private sectors, and the breakdown of traditional family values can, I believe, be traced back to the decreasing influence of faith on American life. Recent polls document our decline.

The number of American adults who describe themselves as Christian has dropped nearly eight percentage points over the past seven year.[1]
Fewer than six-in-ten Millennials identify with any branch of Christianity.[2]
More than 85 percent of American adults were raised Christian, but today, nearly a quarter of these no longer identify with Christianity.[3]
Overall church attendance in America dipped from 43 percent in 2004 to 36 percent in 2014.[4]
Forty-four percent say they spend no time seeking “eternal wisdom.”[5]
Two-thirds say religion is losing its influence in American life.[6]

A recent Wall Street Journal article summed up the research: “The U.S. is expected to remain majority-Christian for decades. But surveys have noted a decline in the share of Americans practicing Christianity for years, especially among Protestant faiths. Meanwhile, the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has climbed.”[7]

What is the cure for this tragic decline?

In My Big Fat Greek Wedding the patriarch and father of the bride sees Windex as a cure for everything from psoriasis to poison ivy. I’ve been accused of similar overstatement when it comes to the importance of a biblical theology of work and how dualism—seeing work and faith as separate departments—is fueling America’s slide into secularism. But I’m not alone in this view. At last year’s Faith@Work Summit, theologian Paul Williams concurred.

A faulty theology of work, vocation, and mission is a significant contributor to the secularization of western society.[8]

Work is only one area of life, but it is by far the most dominant force in American culture. Years ago, Os Guinness shaped my thinking by pointing out that the values of American business—power, prestige, and possessions—have formed the values of American culture. He wrote,

Far more than many realize, the soul of business is tied closely to the business of the soul.[9]

When we fail to intentionally form disciples for the workplace, the workplace shapes our souls, contaminating other spheres of life—our work, worship, family, finances, leisure, everything. Instead of reflecting Christ’s character, we take on the character of the world. Sociologist James Davison Hunter agrees. He wrote,

The problem for Christians—to restate the broader issue once more—is not that their faith is weak, or inadequate. … But while they have faith, they have also been formed by the larger post-Christian culture, a culture whose habits of life less and less resemble anything like the vision of human flourishing provided by the life of Christ and the witness of scripture.[10]

Hunter goes on to suggest that the great commission should be applied socially as well as geographically, In other words, the gospel should penetrate all kinds of work—paid and volunteer, skilled and unskilled, commerce, law, engineering, health care, education, government service. He concludes,

When the church does not send people out to these realms and when it does not provide the theologies that make sense of work and engagement in these realms, the church fails to fulfill the charge to “go into all the world.[11]

The workplace is the most strategic arena for culture change by virtue of the sheer amount of time the average Christian spends with people who need to hear the gospel. But the gospel needs to be seen as well as heard. The workplace provides the formative setting where faith is tested and forged in public view. And as authentic faith is lived out, non-Christians have the opportunity to see the power of the gospel first hand.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most powerful force in the world. As the gospel shapes our lives, we can be sure that God is unleashing its power, no matter how broken our culture becomes.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

[1] “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Pew Research Center, May 15, 2015. [2] “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Pew Research Center, May 15, 2015. [3] “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Pew Research Center, May 15, 2015. [4] “Americans Divided on the Importance of Church,” Barna Research Group, March 25, 2014. [5] “For many, ‘Losing My Religion’ isn’t just a song: It’s life,” USA Today, January 3, 2012. [6] “What surveys say about worship attendance – and why some stay home,” Pew Research Center, September 13, 2013. [7] Tamara Audi, “Unaffiliated Americans Outrank Catholics, Study Show,” The Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2015, A4. [8] Paul Williams, “Seminary Education: Rethinking What’s Important” (video of lecture, Faith @ Work Summit, Boston, MA, October 24, 2014), accessed January 10, 2015. [9] Os Guinness, Winning the Soul of American Business (Burke, VA: Hourglass Publishers, 1990), 20. [10] James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 227. [11] James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 257.

Originally published at the Center for Faith and Work, LeTourneau University. Image: CFW.

Faith and the Marketplace

Faith and the Workplace

Previous Post

July 14, 2015

The pursuit of wealth is not neutral

Next Post

July 16, 2015 How the incarnation and God's sacramental presence in all creation put our everyday work in a new light

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Audio posts Bible and Work Book Review Books Budgeting Calling Common Good Community Development Conferences Discipleship Economics Entrepreneurship Ethics Faith and Family Faith and the Marketplace Faith and the Workplace faith and work History of Work and Vocation Leadership Local Church Meaning New Blogger News Prayer Relationships Seminaries Theology of Work Uncategorized Video posts Vocation Worship Resources

Select a Month April 2026 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 April 2025 January 2025 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 November 2023 August 2023 July 2023 April 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

A shepherd leads his flock beside still waters and through the valley of death's shadow. What is this shepherd's identity?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Apostles The Prophet David The Lord