Barna Survey: America needs 'spiritual renewal' as now, fewer than half of Americans believe God exists

Christian Post ^ | 03/16/25 | Ryan Foley

[SeekAndFind]

A new survey has found that more than half of Americans do not believe God exists or that He “affects lives,” prompting one prominent researcher to highlight the need for “sweeping national repentance and spiritual renewal.”

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released the second installment of its American Worldview Inventory 2025 on Wednesday.

The research found that overall, 60% of Americans do not believe God exists or that He “affects lives.” Nearly half of self-identified Christians (47%) and a slightly smaller share of theologically identified born-again Christians (40%) said the same.

George Barna, director of research at Arizona Christian University, said of the findings, “The more time you spend thinking about what this research tells us, the more you are likely to conclude that nothing short of sweeping national repentance and spiritual renewal can save America from itself.”

He added, “It seems obvious that political, economic, legal, or institutional improvements are not what America needs most desperately today. Those cultural arenas merely provide prescriptions that address the symptoms, but not the disease."

The report, he said, is evidence that God has been “reconfigured into our own image in order to fit within our personal comfort zone.”

Among Americans who believe that God exists and “affects lives,” a plurality (38%) defined God as the “most important element” in their lives, while 23% described God as “extremely important” in their lives, and 18% characterized God as having a “very important” influence on their lives.

Fourteen percent of respondents who believe in God agreed that He was “somewhat important” in their lives, while 5% considered God either “not too” important or “not at all” important. The remaining 3% placed their views on God’s influence in their lives into the category of “it varies.”

Just 20% of “those who believe the God of the Bible exists and affects lives” told pollsters they had “an intimate and interactive spiritual relationship with Him, with constant two-way communication.” Another 45% classified their relationship with God as “close,” defined by frequent prayer and trust in Him to “do what is best and right.”

Eleven percent of those surveyed identified their relationship with God as “arms-length,” while 18% said, “He exists and is capable of all things, but do not have a personal, interactive ‘relationship’ with Him.”

The remaining 7% of respondents remained uncertain whether or not He interacts with people and did not “know how to describe their relationship with Him.” One-third (33%) of “those who believe the God of the Bible exists and affects lives” defined God as having a “total” influence over their lives and choices, while another third (33%) reported that He had “a lot” of influence on their lives, which “often” reflected His guidance.

Nineteen percent of respondents who believe in God contended that He had “some” influence over their lives, which “sometimes” reflected His guidance. Six percent pointed to God as having “not much influence” on their lives and indicated that any influence He did have was “hard to identify.” Four percent credited God with having “no identifiable or conscious influence” on their lives, while the remaining 3% maintained that His influence on their lives was “consistent or unknown.”

When asked what they believed God provided to them, a majority of those who believe in God cited Him as a source of hope (72%), comfort (71%), peace (65%), guidance (64%), compassion (60%), joy (60%), mercy (58%) and purpose (54%). Smaller shares of respondents listed God as a source of miracles (47%), opportunities (41%), security (38%), responsibilities (33%) and power (31%). Less than one-quarter of those who believe in God think He provides identity (24%) and boundaries (19%).

“The fact that more than three out of four people who believe God exists and is influential in their lives nevertheless do not get their identity from their relationship with Him explains a lot,” Barna declared. “The fact that two out of three people who believe in God’s existence and influence do not believe their connection to Him comes with responsibilities, delivers additional insight,” he added.

“Discovering that fewer than one out of five of the people who acknowledge God’s existence and influence are aware of any life boundaries that God provides to them explains even more,” he concluded, reflecting on the connection between the research and “the trials and tribulations, as well as the multifaceted demise of the nation.”

According to Barna, “Finding that two-thirds of those who believe He exists and is influential nevertheless say that God has not given them power to serve Him and pursue His agenda reveals even more about the deceptions and weakness of American Christianity. And the list of startling insights into a Christian faith that bears little resemblance to biblical teaching and to God’s intent could continue.”

The data in the report is based on responses collected from 2,100 U.S. adults in January. The survey has a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

[Beowulf9]

Earth and life on it just happened. Just like if you should the parts of a Swiss Watch together in a box and they all came together to form the watch again and...

wait a min!

[odawg]

“Nearly half of self-identified Christians (47%) and a slightly smaller share of theologically identified born-again Christians (40%) said the same.”

“I am a born again believer who does not believe in God”???

There seems to be a contradiction somewhere in that.

[Trumpisourlastchance]

An increasing godless, bankrupt nation.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

article "fewer than half of Americans believe God exists"

Boy, are they in for a surprise, the "surprise of a lifetime".

[spincaster]

Yeppers, and they are all Republicans.

[rellic]

I believe in God and our savior Jesus Christ.
I do NOT trust church “leaders” who try to re-interpret
what I can read for my self.
I’m a little better educated than most people.
There is way to many people out there trying to
get rich off the normal suffering of day to day life.
They promise things that simply aren’t true.
God bless all reading this.

[Vaduz]

Just another step of the left for undermining a country it’s a anything goes agenda.

Stoner state leaders tilt head scratch ass and ask self what was the money for.

[mairdie]

The important thing, to me, is that our country still has Christian values, regardless of whether those values are attributed to a God or not. Those are wonderful, universal values that put value onto each individual and is a necessary social contract that makes for a safe and respectful and just society. Which is what many other cultures don’t do. We are so lucky to have been born in this country and to be living at a time when the values on which this country was built are being reinforced by our current government.

[T.B. Yoits]

From the article: The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University...found that overall 60% of Americans do not believe God exists or that He "affects lives".

The data in the report is based on responses collected from 2,100 U.S. adults...prompting one prominent researcher to highlight the need for "sweeping national repentance and spiritual renewal to save America from itself" .

Not buying it at all. At best the "survey" shows 60% of the interviewees answered "no" in order to end any interaction with this group. More likely, the whole thing is a work of fiction, like most "surveys".

As for a "prominent researcher", if George Barna was so prominent, he'd be somewhere else other than Arizona Christian University.

...and the need for "sweeping national repentance and spiritual renewal to save America from itself" is classic cult-like tactic to recruit followers.

[SaveFerris]

(An increasing godless, bankrupt nation)

Yes - it's why I'm fighting to get more of God's Word out there

This works MUCH BETTER if LURKERS
COPY, TEXT/EMAIL these pictures and
Scriptures and SHARE with others.

As Nervous Tick says: Be Part
of the Billion-Soul Harvest!!

We will share until our Lord comes back for us! (Lord willing that we can sow The Seeds of His Word) 😇✝️🙏🛐

Believe in the One Messiah of God...

Jesus Christ of Nazareth



JESUS CHRIST IS LORD

JESUS CHRIST IS
THE SON OF GOD

JESUS CHRIST IS THE
ONLY MESSIAH OF GOD

(lurkers please click on my screen name to
see my FR homepage for more information)

[delta7]

An increasing godless, bankrupt nation.
————-
Yep, all the ingredients for a big huge Revival! What you say? Biblical history shows revivals occur when a nation is brought to its knees…..financial decline, 401ks, stocks, equities, all the “ unequal weights and measures”, wars, “ wealth”, corruption, immorality, abortion, etc….

When nothing can save them, banks, fathers, government, money, politicians, etc…..all WILL bow down…..very easy to see how a huge glorious Revival can be upon us.

[delta7]

Amen brother! Prepare for Revival?

[SaveFerris]

(blessed be the prayer warriors)

✝️✝️✝️✝️🙏🙏🙏🙏🛐🛐🛐🛐



https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0b/d3/aa/0bd3aae1fc2c1bdc0141d81feb37c80c.jpg

[HonkyTonkMan]

1. Not familiar with this outfit, but ACU is known as Abilene Christian University.

2. The survey contained 82 questions and the average duration of the survey experience for respondents was 18 minutes. The duration of the survey is too long, response duration nearly 2x recommended time of 7.5sec/question.

3. The 2,100 survey respondents represent 0.000617647059% of population of the USA (340M). Does this appear statistically significant?

4. Would not base any decisions off these survey. Somehow I feel this data ends up in recruiting literature.

[fidelis]

Interesting juxtaposition between this story and a story posted here earlier today, especially (according to conventional wisdom) the UK and Europe, in general, is much more spiritually gone at this point than is the U.S.:

Good News: Spiritual Gen Z Drive Holy Bible Revival (UK)

[reasonisfaith]

Not difficult to follow the logic that a creation has a Creator.

[Persevero]

? How can you identify as a Christian but not think God exists? That can’t be true at the same time.

[gitmo]

Boy, are they in for a surprise, the "surprise of a lifetime".

>

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.  The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Revelation 6:12-17

[TexasGator]

"Yep, all the ingredients for a big huge Revival! What you say? Biblical history shows revivals occur when a nation is brought to its knees…"

I predicted that it would happen in 2015 ...