How Religious Liberty Sustained America

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, a familiar claim is repeated with growing confidence: Religion is fading from American life. Faith, we are told, has retreated into the private realm. Public Christianity is an anachronism. Modern America, like modern Europe, is supposedly learning to live without God.

The statistics appear persuasive at first glance. Church attendance has declined. Denominational loyalty has weakened. Many Americans now describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious” or as simply unaffiliated. From this, commentators conclude that Christianity no longer shapes the nation’s moral or political imagination. This conclusion is mistaken.

About the Author

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and the founder of the AHA Foundation. Her Substack is Restoration.

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As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, a familiar claim is repeated with growing confidence: Religion is fading from American life. Faith, we are told, has retreated into the private realm. Public Christianity is an anachronism. Modern America, like modern Europe, is supposedly learning to live without God.

The statistics appear persuasive at first glance. Church attendance has declined. Denominational loyalty has weakened. Many Americans now describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious” or as simply unaffiliated. From this, commentators conclude that Christianity no longer shapes the nation’s moral or political imagination. This conclusion is mistaken.