On November 1, 2021, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released a report on changes in culture and anxiety in America in a document titled Competing Visions of America: An Evolving Identity or a Culture Under Attack? Findings from the 2021 American Values Survey.  The report presents results from online interviews conducted between September 16 and 29, 2021 among a representative sample of 2,508 adults (age 18 and up) living in all 50 states in the United States.  The title reflects the differences in perspective between those who might view the changes as part of an evolution in national identity and those who might view them as an intolerable attack on American culture as they define it.

The report is quite comprehensive and provides data to show trends in many categories that describe American culture.  I will only discuss a few of those categories in this article.

It is no secret that the notion of exceptionalism is an important aspect of American culture.  In order to assess it, the researchers asked participants to state whether they agreed with the following statements:

• America has always been a force for good in the world (Statement 1)
• There has never been a time they were not proud to be an American (Statement 2)
• God has granted America a special role in human history (Statement 3)

Results for Statements 1 and 2 are summarized in Figure 1.1 below.  Regarding Statement 1, Figure 1.1 shows that 74% of Americans either completely or mostly agree that America has always been a force for good in the world (a slight decrease from 2013, when this number was 79%), while the results also indicate that 24% either mostly or completely disagree.  The chart shows that Republicans are most likely to agree with Statement 1 (92%), even though majorities of Independents (72%) and Democrats (67%) also agree.

White evangelical Protestants (88%), white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants (88%), and white Catholics (85%) agree with Statement 1.  The percentages drop for Hispanic Catholics (73%), other Christians (71%) and Black Protestants (69%).  The non-Christian religious and the religiously unaffiliated stand at 66% and 58%, respectively.

The trends for Statement 2 are fairly similar to the trends for Statement 1, but the percentages are generally lower.  In other words, some who generally believe that America is a force for good in the world may have seen instances where they were not proud of America.  It is therefore surprising that the difference in the percentages for Statements 1 and 2 is smallest for Black Protestants (69% and 64%) who apparently remain proud to be Americans even though many of them have, arguably, witnessed the worst of America at some point in their lives.

Figure 1.2 shows results for Statement 3.  Between 2013 and 2021, the percentage of Americans who believe in a divinely ordained role for America dropped from 64% to 44%.  But Republicans remain more likely than Independents and Democrats to agree with the statement, and the gap has increased since 2013.

The report provides results by religious affiliation which show that white evangelical Protestants (75%) are the most likely to agree that God has granted America a special role in human history (a significant decline from 84% in 2013). Two-thirds of Black Protestants (67%), 55% of other Christians and 50% of Hispanic Catholics also agree with Statement 3. Less than half of white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants (46%) and white Catholics (46%) agree.  Those numbers are substantial decreases from 75% and 60%, respectively, in 2013.  Even fewer members of non-Christian religions (29%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (18%) agree with Statement 3.  The number of unaffiliated Americans who agree also declined significantly, from 40% in 2013.

It may be worthwhile to mention a potential danger associated with the belief in a divinely ordained role for America: It has been, in the past, linked to the notion of Manifest Destiny, which was associated with instances of American imperialism.  Therefore, a decrease in the percentage of Americans who agree with Statement 3 is not necessarily a bad thing, even though religious people may be inclined to interpret it as an unfortunate setback for religion.  A more important question is whether religion itself has been a force that drives American culture toward the common good.

Figure 1.3 shows that 63% of Democrats believe American culture and way of life have changed for the better since the 1950s, compared to 48% of Independents and only 29% of Republicans.  In general, Republicans have been much less likely to see a change for the better, Democrats have been more likely to see a change for the better, and Independents have been between the two.  But it is noticeable that Republicans and independents saw an improvement between 2016 and 2020 (the Trump years), but a sharp change for the worst between 2020 and 2021.  Correspondingly, white evangelical Protestants (30% today, 43% in 2020), white Catholics (40% today, 53% in 2020), and white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants (43% today, 53% in 2020) have seen a decline of at least 10 points in this metric between 2020 and 2021.  Other religious groups have seen smaller declines.  It seems to me that this is merely an indication of the strong link between white Christians and the conservative values associated with the Republican party.  The changes reflect their disappointment after the switch to a Democratic administration.  Signs of that disappointment are, indeed, seen in the news on a daily basis.

Figure 1.4 shows responses from participants on traits associated with being truly American.  The chart indicates that Democrats, Independents and Republicans all feel very strongly that certain traits associated with democratic norms, such as believing in individual freedoms (such as freedom of speech), believing that every citizen should be able to vote in elections, accepting people of diverse racial and religious backgrounds, and respecting American political institutions and laws, are part of what makes a person truly American.  The percentages of Americans who feel that way all lie above 91%.

However, Republicans (93%) feel more strongly than Independents (79%) and Democrats (68%) that a true American must speak English.  Republicans (77%) are more likely than Independents (59%) and Democrats (50%) to believe that capitalism is the best economic system.  Republicans (78%) are more likely than Independents (56%) and Democrats (45%) to believe that a true American must believe in God.  Republicans (62%) are more likely than Independents (48%) and Democrats (43%) to believe that a true American must be born in America.  Republicans (63%) are more likely than Independents (43%) and Democrats (35%) to believe that a true American must be a Christian.

Clearly, the fact that such significant portions of the population view a true American as one who speaks English, believes in God, is born in America, and is a Christian, is an indication of a bias in American culture that raises doubts about the acceptance of people of diverse racial and religious backgrounds expressed by more than 92% of Americans in the third item of the chart.

Also, the results indicate that 21% of Republicans, 17% of Democrats and 15% of Independents feel that a true American must be of Western European heritage.  Is that consistent with acceptance of people of diverse racial and religious backgrounds by more than 92% of Americans?

Actually, some additional charts are provided to address such questions, as seen below.

Figure 1.5 shows how Americans feel about racial diversity in America.  Almost half of the population (49%) would prefer the US to be a nation made up of people from all over the world, while a small percentage (8%) would prefer the US to be a nation made up of people of Western European heritage, and 43% of Americans are in the middle of the scale.

Republicans are generally less accepting of people from all over the world (30%), while Democrats are more accepting of them (64%) and Independents are in the middle (53%).

Figure 1.6 shows how Americans feel about religious diversity.  Overall, 38% of Americans would prefer the US to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions, while 24% would prefer the US to be a nation made up of people who follow the Christian faith, and 38% are in the middle of the scale.  Noticeable in this chart is the fact that white evangelicals are the only group with a majority (57%) that prefers a nation made up of Christians.

It is not surprising that the religiously unaffiliated (65%) and those belonging to non-Christian religious (71%) tend to favor religious diversity.

It is no secret that evangelism is an important Christian activity.  If, as Christians believe, salvation comes from belief in Christ, then their efforts to evangelize can be understood as efforts to promote the common good.  Therefore, they cannot be blamed for looking forward to a nation that has been fully converted to the Christian faith.  Of course, there is a valid and ongoing debate regarding what the Christian faith should be, and how well the various denominations truly represent Christ.  But for now, let’s just focus on the issue of coexistence between professed Christians and non-Christians.

New Testament teaching about the kingdom of God implies that Christians should see themselves as citizens of that kingdom, who respect the rules of the earthly kingdoms they live in, but whose true allegiance is to God and to the principles Jesus taught them.  They are therefore pilgrims on earth, not because they do not care about life on earth, but because their rules of conduct come from elsewhere, and it is through their conduct that they influence the existing culture.  They are expected to treat all humans as God’s children and love their neighbors as themselves.  Such neighbors include non-Christians, and even enemies who persecute them.  As Paul tells them, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:17-18)

It is one thing if Christians want to see the entire nation converted to Christianity because they care about the common good.  It is another thing if they see non-Christians as a different breed that is threatening their way of life and taking from them all the things that are rightfully theirs, something they often describe as “taking back their country.”  It is, indeed, a different thing if they are ready to renege on their declared commitment to democratic institutions (as seen in the first four items of Figure 1.4 above), to embrace conspiracy theories about voter fraud, and potentially engage in violence, in order to further skew the system to their advantage.  I think there is clear evidence that some who embrace Christian nationalism have been acting in such ways.  It seems to me they are not pursuing the common good.