Recently, Russ Ewell, a Christian Church executive in the Bay Area, spoke to Fox News on the state of religion in America. The U.S. was founded on strong Christian principles, but religious affiliation and church attendance have faltered in recent decades.
“There’s a lot of movement in the landscape, I think, in America, with regard to religion and spirituality. I saw this as good news that people are spiritual. I anticipated there were some people who predicted that after the pandemic, there might be some sense of movement in that direction. For people, maybe in a particular belief system, they might be positive or negative on it, but overall, for me, spirituality was big,” Ewell said.
He continued explaining how the ever-changing dynamics of society are stripping away much of the secular purpose that people can find in life, creating a void that many are moving to fill with a longing for spirituality.
“And I thought as well that some of that may come out of the increasing amount of loneliness people are experiencing. And it may come out of the distance being created by social media, by the internet, meaning people don’t have in-person, face-to-face relationships. And there’s sort of a yearning. And so, when I look at things like people finding spirituality in nature or them wanting to discover their inner self more, I think these are all things that people experience, but they’re not always aware of, or sometimes they suppress,” the minister said.
Ewell then addressed the presence of atheism and agnosticism in our culture, where the beliefs of many remain in stark contrast to spirituality or religion. The minister cited teachings from Jesus Christ, instructing followers to “shine” light on others. He then emphasized the need to create strong communal bonds and perform good deeds in society.
“As you may or may not be familiar with, Jesus said, shine your light, let your light shine, and people see the good deeds. I think that really opens things up because people are assuming when you’re coming in, you’re religious, you’re coming with things that I don’t think most Christian-oriented people are actually trying to do, that you’re coming and trying to like, convert them to do what you do. I think most people aren’t doing that. So I think doing good, building great relationships, being known in the community, that’s a lot of what we do. And I think it makes a difference, especially with millennials and Gen Z,” Ewell said.
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the non-profit organization Liberty Counsel, commented on the distinction between “religious” and “spiritual,” agreeing with Ewell’s sentiment. Staver expressed that he believes the differences lie in association with churches rather than faith in God.
“It’s not surprising to me because I think that there are a number of people that are not necessarily associated with a particular denomination or church but have become more spiritual. What we’ve also seen is people who want more spiritual connection in reality, and they may not be getting that in the typical, environments of the churches that they’re attending,” Staver said.
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