White Christians Have Become Even Less Motivated to Address Racial Injustice
One might assume that the events of 2020 have increased awareness of racial injustice in the United States and motivation to address it . However , new Barna research suggests otherwise . According to the research , while there are signs the past year has clarified how Americans think about racial injustice , that doesn ’ t mean they see the issue , or their role within it , with greater urgency . In the Church especially , there is a sense that people are doubling down on divides . As Barna previously reported , data from the summer of 2019 show 46 percent of practicing Christians say the country “ definitely ” has a race problem , just behind the 51 percent of all U . S . adults who feel this way . As of the July 2020 survey , self-identified Christians who say their faith is very important in their lives and have attended a worship service within the past month — are no more likely to acknowledge racial injustice ( 43 % “ definitely ”) than they were the previous summer . There is actually a significant increase in the percentage of practicing Christians who say race is “ not at all ” a problem in the U . S . ( 19 %, up from 11 % in 2019 ). There is , however , a boost in Christians ’ willingness to strongly agree that , historically , the U . S . has oppressed minorities — from 19 percent in the 2019 survey to 26 percent in the summer of 2020 . According to Barna , as this increased acknowledgment of past injustice does not correspond with increased acknowledgment of present injustice , it might indicate that either more people are beginning to gain education and understanding of U . S . racial history .
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