Obama and American Religion
W. Bradford Wilcox explains how expanded welfare states translate into the decline of religion worldwide and the implication of this on the future of American religion under President Barack Obama. Here is a particularly relevant paragraph:
“…the more the state steps in to reduce the economic and social insecurity of its citizens, the less likely fair-weather believers are to darken the door of a church on Sunday. Now, to paraphrase Charles Krauthammer, Obama hopes to expand the size of the welfare state by offering cradle-to-grave health care and cradle-to-cubicle education to Americans. If he gets his way, Americans will not have to trust in God, or their fellow congregants, to support an ailing parent, or to help them figure out how to pay for their daughter’s college tuition. Instead, they can put their faith in Uncle Sam.”
If this comes to pass the onus will be on Churches and individual believers to adapt to a new world and continue faithfully proclaiming the gospel in a post-Christian America.
