American Grace

1. America's Religious Paradox: Deep Devotion Meets Vast Diversity.

Religion’s role in America thus poses a puzzle. How can religious pluralism coexist with religious polarization?

A unique blend. The United States stands out among industrialized democracies for its exceptionally high levels of religious devotion. Americans consistently report high rates of belonging, believing, and behaving religiously, far surpassing their European counterparts. This deep religiosity is a constant throughout American history, with most citizens identifying with a faith, praying regularly, and believing in God.

A diverse tapestry. Simultaneously, America is a nation of immense religious diversity, a landscape constantly reshaped by immigration and internal spiritual exploration. This includes a wide array of Protestant denominations, a significant Catholic population, and growing numbers of Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, and those with no religious affiliation ("nones"). This vibrant mix creates a dynamic religious marketplace where faiths compete, adapt, and evolve.

The core puzzle. The coexistence of such profound devotion and vast diversity presents a unique paradox. While religious differences often fuel conflict globally, America largely maintains religious harmony. This book explores how this balance is achieved, even amidst increasing religious polarization, by examining the underlying social dynamics that foster tolerance and understanding across faith lines.

2. A Century of Flux: American Religion is Chosen, Not Just Inherited.

In short, it is misleading to think of religious identity in contemporary America as an inherited and stable characteristic.

Beyond inheritance. While many Americans still share their parents' religious identity, the notion of religion as a fixed, inherited trait is increasingly outdated. Roughly 35-40% of all Americans, and even more white Americans, have switched from their parents' religion at some point in their lives. This fluidity is evident in various ways:

• "Liminals" frequently shift between identifying with a specific faith and claiming no affiliation.
• Many return to their original faith after a period of disaffiliation.
• Protestants often switch between different denominations within their tradition.

Declining loyalty. Over the 20th century, the rate of religious switching has steadily increased, rising by almost 50%. This trend is particularly pronounced among mainline Protestants and "Anglo" Catholics, who have seen more than half of their children either leave the faith or become religiously inactive. In contrast, the retention rate for those raised with no religious affiliation has dramatically increased, especially among younger generations.

Politics in the mix. Religious choices are increasingly intertwined with political identity. People who switch religions often do so in ways that align their religious and political views, with liberals gravitating towards secularism and conservatives towards devout faiths. This suggests that political ideology can influence religious affiliation, contributing to the growing alignment between religiosity and partisanship.

3. Three Seismic Shifts Have Polarized America's Religious Landscape.

Just as an earthquake and its aftershocks can leave a deep fissure in physical terrain, so too this religious quake and its pair of aftershocks have left a deep rift in the political and religious topography of America.

The 1960s shock. The "long Sixties" brought a profound cultural revolution, marked by rapid shifts in sexual norms and a dramatic decline in traditional religious observance, especially among young Baby Boomers. This era saw a significant rise in disaffection from conventional religion, with many questioning authority and seeking new spiritual paths outside established institutions.

First aftershock: Conservative resurgence. In reaction to the perceived moral decay of the 1960s, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed a surge in conservative religion, particularly evangelical Protestantism. This movement attracted individuals troubled by changing social mores, finding solace and community in churches that offered clear moral stances. This period also saw the rise of the Religious Right, explicitly linking conservative religious values with political action.

Second aftershock: Youth disaffection. The 1990s and 2000s brought a counter-reaction, as a growing number of young Americans, the "millennials," turned away from organized religion. For many, this aversion stemmed from religion's increasingly visible association with conservative politics and traditional stances on sexual morality. This led to a sharp increase in the religiously unaffiliated, further polarizing the American religious landscape into devout and secular extremes.

4. The "God Gap" is Forged by Moral Issues, Not Broad Theological Divides.

Abortion and same-sex marriage are the glue holding the coalition of the religious together.

A modern phenomenon. The "God gap," the strong correlation between religiosity and partisan preference, is a relatively recent development in American politics. Historically, religious observance had little bearing on party affiliation. However, since the mid-1980s, highly religious Americans have increasingly aligned with the Republican Party, while the least religious lean Democratic.

Issue-driven alignment. This partisan divide is not driven by broad theological differences or a wide range of policy issues. Instead, it is primarily cemented by attitudes on two specific "sex and family" issues: abortion and same-sex marriage. Religiosity is a powerful predictor of views on these issues, and as the Republican and Democratic parties adopted opposing stances, these issues became potent political wedges.

Shifting sands. The political potency of abortion and same-sex marriage may be waning. While support for same-sex marriage is rapidly increasing, especially among young people, attitudes towards abortion among the youth are becoming more ambivalent, even slightly more conservative. If these trends continue, the "glue" holding the religious-political coalition together could weaken, potentially leading to new political alignments.

5. Religion Adapts to Social Change, Embracing Gender and Racial Equality, But Not Economic Disparity.

In short, in both occupational and normative terms the feminist revolution of the last generation swept as rapidly through the ranks of religious men and women, including evangelicals, as it did through the ranks of secular Americans.

Feminist revolution embraced. Despite historical traditions and scriptural interpretations advocating traditional gender roles, American religion largely adapted to the women's revolution. Religious women entered the workforce at the same rate as secular women, and attitudes towards gender equality, including women in leadership roles within churches, became significantly more progressive across all religious traditions. This stands in stark contrast to the fervent resistance to changes in sexual morality.

Racial tolerance grows. Similarly, religious Americans, like their secular counterparts, have become significantly more racially tolerant over the past four decades. While white evangelicals initially lagged in supporting racial equality, all major religious traditions have converged towards greater acceptance of interracial marriage and rejection of racial prejudice. However, evangelicals remain less likely to support systemic government action to address racial disparities.

Economic inequality overlooked. In contrast to its adaptation to gender and racial shifts, American religion has offered little resistance to the widening gap between rich and poor. While religious individuals are more generous with private charity and often form cross-class friendships within congregations (especially evangelicals), religious institutions have largely failed to advocate for public policies to address growing economic inequality, unlike many faith-based movements in earlier American history.

6. Good Neighborliness Springs from Religious Community, Not Just Personal Faith.

It is religious belonging that matters for neighborliness, not religious believing.

The "religious edge." Religious Americans are, on average, more generous and civically engaged than their secular counterparts. They volunteer more, donate more to both religious and secular causes (especially those aiding the needy), and participate more actively in community life, from local elections to reform movements. This "religious edge" in good neighborliness is robust across various measures and demographic groups.

Beyond theology. Surprisingly, this civic virtue is not primarily driven by specific theological beliefs, such as fear of God, hope of salvation, or literal interpretation of scripture. Once a person's level of religious observance is accounted for, the content of their faith or their childhood religious education has little additional impact on their generosity or civic engagement.

The power of networks. The true "secret ingredient" lies in religious social networks. People with dense, religiously based social connections—those who have friends at church, participate in small groups, and discuss religion with family and friends—are significantly more generous and civically active, even for secular causes. These networks act as "supercharged friendships," fostering altruism and civic norms more effectively than general social ties.

7. Personal Connections Are America's Grace, Bridging Divides and Fostering Widespread Tolerance.

America manages to be both religiously diverse and religiously devout because it is difficult to damn those you know and love.

The Aunt Susan Principle. The core reason for America's religious harmony, despite its devotion and diversity, is the pervasive interreligious mixing in personal lives. Most Americans have friends, neighbors, or even family members from different faiths or no faith at all. This "religious bridging" creates cognitive dissonance: it's hard to believe that a beloved Aunt Susan, who is not of your faith, is destined for damnation.

Widespread acceptance. This personal exposure translates into broad societal acceptance. An overwhelming majority of Americans (89%) believe that people of other faiths can go to heaven, and most Christians extend this to non-Christians, even when their clergy teach otherwise. This expansive view of salvation, coupled with a strong endorsement of religious diversity as a societal good, underpins America's tolerant religious landscape.

Bridging for tolerance. New evidence shows that increasing religious diversity within one's social network directly leads to warmer feelings towards other religious groups, even those not directly represented in one's friendships. This "spillover effect" suggests that as Americans continue to form interreligious connections, the remaining tensions and negative perceptions towards groups like Mormons, Muslims, and the nonreligious are likely to diminish over time.