The Squishy Center

A recent survey of 35,000 Americans by the Pew Research Center found that nearly one in four adults in the United States reported no religious affiliation. Economic uncertainty, global instability, technological advances, and demographic transitions have created a crisis within the church.

The traditional definition of family has evolved; it is no longer just a male husband and a female wife with children. Families now include male couples, female couples, children born through surrogates, and multiple parents in polyamorous unions.

There are many different faiths and perspectives vying for our attention, with a growing belief that all of these views hold equal validity and truth. Increasingly, people are living their lives without feeling the need to search for a higher power or anything beyond themselves. The United States has evolved into a nation characterized by functional atheism. Rather than outright rejecting the concept of God, our culture tends to ignore it.

James Emery White, Ph.D. the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and past president of Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida has written extensively on the ”squishy center.”

He suggests we consider a scenario where 25% of people do not engage with religious institutions at all, while another 25% are dedicated believers who have embraced faith in Christ. In the middle resides the “squishy center.” Unlike the firm stance of secularists or devoted believers, those in the center are often swayed by cultural trends.

As a result, they tend to adapt to whatever is most culturally influential at the time. As the cultural challenges of being a Christian grow, many individuals in the “squishy center”—those who consider themselves marginal Christians—are now abandoning their faith altogether. This troubling trend could have a significant impact on Generation Z, the largest generation in American history.