Professor Butler appeared in an article in today's Washington Post with the headline "Christianity is declining at a rapid pace, but Americans still hold positive views about religion’s role in society." The article asked several scholars of religion to make sense of a recent Pew Research poll. Here's an excerpt from the WaPo piece featuring Professor Butler's views:
The survey also found racial divisions in how Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view religion. White Democrats are more likely to say religion is declining, and 33 percent of them think this is a good thing, versus the 23 percent who think it’s a bad thing. On the other hand, black Democrats say it’s a bad thing by 40-9.
“For African Americans, the calculation is ‘Oh no, this is a part of our lives.’ Smaller black churches are dying off. People are moving. Developers are coming in,” said Anthea Butler, a professor of religion and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania. “On the white side, a lot of it has to do with disappointment in organized religion.”
Many people are questioning America’s national identity right now, Butler said.
“Our national identity, whether you think it should be or not, is wrapped up in a ‘Christian nation,’” she said. “People could be thinking all kinds of things. Some might be saying, ‘Oh we’re losing something.’ Or people could think the discourse is too coarse right now.”