Ep. 278 - What happened to Christianity in America?
Christianity has taken on a totally different meaning these days.. It is in the oversized cross necklaces, the trad-wife hair, the school board fights, the subtle “illegal aliens vs immigrants” language, and the way a MAGA hat or a Pride flag can tell people your entire belief system before you say a word. In this episode, I pull together the data, the history, and my own messy spiritual story to ask whether we’re slipping into a full-blown religious dystopia or just finally seeing what was there all along. We’ll talk about why Christian fundamentalism feels more mainstream than ever, why so many of us are “Cafeteria Christians” or spiritual but not religious, and why Gen Z is both walking away from church and walking right back in through a different door. You will not walk away from this one neutral.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
How Christian nationalism and partisan politics got so tangled up you can’t tell where one ends and the other starts
Why Christianity has dropped to around 62% of Americans while the “nones” and spiritual-but-not-religious crowd keep rising
The two emerging “Americas”: the remixers (Cafeteria Christians, astrology, crystals, human design) and the revivalists (fundamentalism, trad-wife aesthetics, purity culture)
What Gen Z is actually doing with faith, and why some young adults are returning to church for structure while others are done with institutions for good
How thought-terminating clichés like “God works in mysterious ways” and “everything happens for a reason” shut down real emotions and critical thinking
Why belief in Satan, demons, and “spiritual warfare” is dropping overall, even as some conservative spaces turn it into a 24/7 fear channel
The difference between inherited faith and adult reality, and how to spot when “community” is tipping into control or culty dynamics
What it might look like to be human first and let belief and identity come second, without abandoning the possibility of God altogether
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to the Reinvention Room + why this one will piss people off or make you feel seen
02:28 Christian fundamentalism goes mainstream and hides inside politics
05:50 Growing up Protestant, “born-again” neighbors, and never feeling Christian enough
16:51 Mega-churches, mentors, and trying to find a faith home that isn’t culty
23:51 The long hair, oversized crosses, trad-wife aesthetic, and what they’re signaling
30:54 Deep research: declining Christianity, rising “nones,” and spiritual-but-not-religious trends
35:42 Crystals, tarot, human design and why the metaphysical often feels more helpful than church
40:08 Thought-terminating clichés and how they shut down real emotion and questions
51:13 Spiritual warfare, “the enemy,” and why demon talk feels like an abusive boyfriend
53:18 Christian nationalism, school boards, book bans, and politics dressed up as religion
58:23 Trump, media bubbles, and trying to stay human first in mixed-politics families
1:09:57 Burnout, belonging, and why everyone’s exhausted and spiritually unsettled
1:21:10 “Why are you letting assholes get in the way of your relationship with God?”
1:23:30 Are we already in a religious dystopia, and what happens next?
Links & Resources Mentioned:
Previous episode: Psychology of How Minds Change with David McRaney (on why people double down or actually shift)
Previous episode: Dr. Jay Van Bavel on social identity and tribal brains: EP108: Social identities
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Notable Quotables:
[00:02:28] “Christian fundamentalism has gone from really kind of a fringe thing to totally mainstream. But now it’s wrapped in politics.”
[00:03:35] “Meanwhile, most Americans are building their own version of faith from scraps, like a cafeteria Christian.”
[00:33:18] “It really made me wonder, are people ditching belief, or are they ditching institutions?”
[00:40:08] “These phrases don’t comfort people. They shut off critical thought and shut down your actual feelings.”
[01:21:10] “Why are you letting assholes get in the way of your relationship with God?”
3 Top Takeaways:
Belonging often beats belief. People will choose social safety and their group over “getting the theology right,” especially when everything feels uncertain.
Two spiritual Americas are forming. Remix spirituality (Cafeteria Christians, crystals, human design) is growing at the same time as Christian nationalism and fundamentalism push for legal power. PRRI+3Pew Research Center+3Pew Research Center+3
You’re allowed to question. One of the healthiest spiritual moves you can make is asking, “Can I doubt here without being punished?” If the answer is no,it's time to go.
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