Is It Possible to Maintain Faith in Secular Culture?

As recently as 1990, 86% of Americans identified as Christian.

Of course, they weren’t all committed followers of Jesus. Many attended church only on Easter and Christmas while living lives inconsistent with Christian beliefs.

Still, they viewed Christianity positively.

These people would attend evangelistic rallies made famous by Billy Graham, Louis Palau, and others. Drawing on favorable views of the Church, these preachers could fill stadiums and make arguments using the Bible as a source of authority.

Times have changed.

We now live in a post-Christian culture. Many people have walked away from the Church.

It’s a significant challenge to maintain faith in an increasingly secular society.

It’s worth asking, “How do I avoid succumbing to the pressures of culture around me?” Let's examine four keys to maintaining your faith in a secular society.

‍1. Make It Real

If you stumbled onto this article, the odds are that faith is essential to you. You also recognize that it is not easy to follow Jesus in our world today. The first step to staying strong as a believer is to take a moment to assess the authenticity of your faith.

Ultimately, faith cannot be inherited from our families, friends, or culture. Grace is a gift we cannot earn, but we all must choose to receive this gift for ourselves.

We must surrender our lives wholly to God and commit, in faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit, to living completely for Him.

Only genuine faith will survive a secular world that is hostile to the existence of God.

2. Keep the Junk Out

Whether it's the TV mounted on the wall, the phones in our hands, or the radio in the car, our minds are flooded with images and sounds every day.

Most of this content is, at best, unhelpful and, too often, downright destructive.

The Apostle Paul warns us in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

Guarding our minds and hearts against these pervasive images and sounds is vital to maintaining a strong faith in culture.

We have to be intentional and diligent about avoiding the junk that comes at us from all directions so that we can focus on what matters.

3. Don’t Do It Alone

Have you heard it said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? While overly simplistic, this truism - most commonly attributed to speaker Jim Rohn - speaks to the powerful influence of community.

Our faith is intensely personal, but we will struggle to do it alone like anything of value. We need like-minded people whose values align with ours and can help keep us on track.

Hebrews 10:24-25 makes this point, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

If you want to maintain your faith in secular culture, you need to find a community of people who will encourage you.
‍
4. Play Offense, Not Just Defense

‍When Jesus came to earth, He demonstrated an active faith that entered into the suffering of others. He challenged corruption, healed the sick, and preached the Truth.

A crucial part of maintaining a strong faith is “playing offense.” Nothing activates and strengthens our faith like watching its power change the world.

A defensive faith is vulnerable. A dynamic, active faith is resilient.

Jesus calls us to relieve suffering, fight oppression, and preach the Truth. Doing this will produce extraordinary fruit and give us the kind of faith that not only survives embedded in a hostile culture but thrives.