Researchers specializing in assessing American Christianity have recently “woke up” to the positive changes surrounding American faith when they observed the shocking spikes of Bible sales.
“I think I’ve woken up… when the media contacted me about an article from the Wall Street Journal that was announced last October about the surge in Bible sales.”
Plake said he often makes great strides in comparing what is happening anecdotally in real numbers and statistics in his own church experience, to ensure that he understands the actual patterns correctly, compared to what he is “individually experiencing.”
Given the surge in Bible sales and other positive measures, Plake and his team, preparing to release new “Bible Status” data on April 10, were able to dig deep and ask important questions.
“One interesting thing is to note that this positive trajectory is happening in other countries as well.
“I think we’re beginning to get a sense of something going on from a lot of angles, from Europe, from the US, from Canada, from the data and from experience,” Plake says.
In the shift, Plake said young people are increasingly returning to their faith.
“They are looking for better, timeless wisdom, and they discover that the church is still there, the Bible is still there, and that speaks to our problems today,” Plake said.
One of the biggest signs of continuing positiveness came from a study of religious landscapes that recently discovered a flattening of the decline of American Christianity. Since 2019, the proportion of American Christians has been between 60% and 64%, a notable finding given the downward trend in faith.
“The decline of Christianity seems to have slowed down and the rise of ‘Nons’ appears to have intensified,” Plake said. “And so, I think I’m scratching a lot of my head.”
The researchers also teased research that quickly commus from the American Bible Society, detailing the waves of many results released in batches.
Listen to the latest episodes of “Quick Start”
“We’re planning to release nine chapters between April and December,” Plake says. “There are tons to report on this study. Looking at this first chapter, we look at Bible use, changes in Bible engagement, and changes across generations within America.”
Plake had been restricting it from providing certain numbers, but he said he believes that when deep data was released, and “in fact, in some amazing ways” Christians are “pleased with what’s going on.”
“What I’m aware of the data is that a group of people who previously were the most resistant to the Bible, or those who appeared to be immune to the Bible’s message, is far greater than the increased error in how they interact with the Bible,” Plake said.
He continued. “And overall, I think that batches of data taken alongside the Bible sales are also photographed with those seen on Europe and university campuses. I think that churches can be welcomed, not just Christian universities and universities, but secular universities as well as secular universities.
***As the number of voices facing big technology censorship continues to grow, sign up for a trusted newsletter and download the CBN news app developed by the parent company to keep you up to date with the latest news from a clear Christian perspective.
