According to a recent poll conducted by Gallup, the portion of Americans who believe in God has dropped to barely over 80%. That’s still a majority, but the one-in-five who don’t believe is the highest number ever recorded in this country. 

Anyone seeking to understand this data should remember something theologian Carl F.H. Henry said, 70 years ago, when told that 99% of Americans believed in God: “The vast majority of Americans today may believe in a ghost god, in a phantom god, in a god who makes very little difference in the great decisions of life and even less in the cares of everyday existence.” 

Imaginary gods, like imaginary friends, make us feel good for a time, but lose their staying power. That’s true for individuals and for societies—which is why Christians must be clear on Who God is as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, in creation, and in Christ… not a god we create in our own image.