Conference Presentation, Panel, Fireside Chat
"What Faith Means to Me" | Global Conference 2025
- Religious affiliation in the U.S. is predicted to have paused its decline over the last six years, with trends expected to flatten or show a resurgence rather than accelerate erosion, contrasting with patterns in other G20 nations.
- Spiritual beliefs are forecasted to remain widespread and stable, with 69% of respondents believing science cannot explain certain phenomena, though less religious Americans are more likely to perceive an intrinsic conflict between science and religion.
- Technology is expected to diminish the ability to express emotional language and grief through reliance on emojis and digital communication, while simultaneously isolating a generation less fluent in face-to-face interaction than texting.
- The absence of a middle class is identified as a historical precursor to the fall of civilizations, whereas the localization of community is deemed essential for the foundation of democracy and society.
- Trust in science is increasing within faith communities but remains fractured by information bubbles where uncredentialed voices are prioritized, creating a risk that those unable to distinguish fact from falsehood will lose their anchor to objective truth.
- Between June 2021 and March 2022, approximately 234,000 Americans died unnecessarily, with white evangelical Christians identified as the group most likely to be in that category, a situation linked to the ignoring of exhortations regarding the meek and poor.
- Isolation, loneliness, and the failure to know neighbors are expected to foster conspiracy theories and political violence, requiring faith communities to rebuild connection to counteract dominant societal voices pulling toward callousness and cruelty.
- Future engagement models require a multi-pronged approach as digital reach has expanded tenfold beyond physical congregations to include global audiences in regions like Pakistan and the Middle East.
- The conflict regarding the origins of life and evolution is anticipated to be less intense now than it was 20 years ago, potentially stabilizing the trend of young people leaving the church due to perceived hypocrisy or scientific rejection.
- Polarization is expected to be addressed primarily through individual decisions to reach out to those with differing views and practice listening to understand, as universal negative assertions made by atheists are viewed as the least defensible rational position.
- The speaker anticipates that people raised with technology will eventually learn the necessity of human connection, as face-to-face interaction fosters acceptance and camaraderie that digital platforms fail to provide.