From the earliest days of settlement to the drafting of the Constitution, Christianity has played an undeniable role in shaping American identity and values. America was the first country to be explicitly founded on Christian values, drawing inspiration from the Ten Commandments, the Bible, English Common Law, and the Magna Carta, all emphasizing individual rights given by a higher power.
Despite pressure from societal trends, the influence of Christianity remains profound, with a majority of Americans still identifying with the faith. While mainstream media headlines often proclaim the decline of religious affiliation and church attendance, the reality is more nuanced. Recent data from a Pew Research survey underscores this point, revealing that over 65% of Americans identify as Christians; the United States is still a majority Christian nation.
The trend is also global. It is estimated that 2.38 billion of the world's population are Christians, over 31%, the largest of any religious group worldwide. Christianity is also growing, and has experienced a significant surge over the past few decades in regions like China and Africa. Much of that growth can be attributed to the influence of churches who uphold staunch values and conventional perspectives.
However, within the affluent West, Christianity faces unique challenges, particularly from within. Continued attacks by Anti-Christians and the rise of Progressive Christianity pose a significant ideological threat to traditional conservative organizations.
Catholicism has grappled with leftist movements for decades, with "Liberation Theology" emerging in 1960s Latin America, blending socio-economic politics with an overt concern for the poor and oppressed peoples. Embracing such theology became a stepping stone to prominence for most Latin American Catholic officials, showcasing a trend where ideological elites corrupt institutions for personal gain. This trend persists in academia and corporate leadership today, where embracing narratives of the moment often increases economic prospects.
Much like the Catholic Church, it seems the Southern Baptist Convention, the world's largest Baptist denomination, is suffering from insider attacks.
Perhaps the clearest example of wokeness infiltrating the SBC is the evident transformation of the early 20th-century Social Gospel into a modern iteration. Initiatives like Critical Race Theory sharply contrast with Christian principles. By stating inherent racism lies within whiteness through concepts like white supremacy, and by suggesting that success achieved through hard work and perseverance is hindered by systemic oppressors, it directly contradicts the core tenets of Christianity.
Despite the SBC's rejection of theories prioritizing “group identity” at the 2021 annual meeting, efforts to push the church into a modern progressive era persist. It's as if a new breed of church officials view themselves as political organizers, instead of leaders of the faith.
William Wolfe, a former Trump official and Baptist theologian, highlights organized progressive efforts to infiltrate and undermine conservative denominations like the SBC. He emphasizes the pivotal role Christianity plays in safeguarding America against cultural Marxism.