(RNS) — During his campaign to return to the White House, President Donald Trump promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and to shut down diversity programs in the federal government and higher education.
He also promised to restore Christians to power and religious faith to its rightful place in America.
“With your help and God’s grace, the great revival of America begins on Nov. 5,” he told a gathering of religious broadcasters in February of 2024.
Since taking office, Trump has sought to make good on those promises, launching a program of mass deportation and seeking to cut off funds to colleges and even houses of worship that have DEI programs.
His policies, however, may end up making America less religious, and in particular, less Christian, in the future. That’s in large part because younger white Americans are one of the least religious groups in the country — while nonwhite Americans and immigrants are among the most religious.
Fewer than half (43%) of white Americans ages 18-29 identify as Christian, with only half overall (51%) claiming any religious identity, according to data from the latest Pew Religious Landscape Study. Nearly half (48%) are religiously unaffiliated — meaning that among white Americans under 30, the so-called nones outnumber Christians.
“Racial composition of Christians over time, by age group” (Graphic courtesy of Pew Research Center)
By contrast, more than half (53%) of Black Americans and Hispanic Americans (54%) under 30 identify as Christian, while 60% of young Black Americans and 61% of Hispanic Americans identify as religious. Only younger Asian Americans (26%) and those from a multiracial background (42%) are less Christian than young white Americans. Still, young Asian Americans are more …