Last week there was another proclamation of the death of Christianity in America with a new Pew Research Center study on religious practices in America.   The talking points from the study noted the rise of atheism as many commentators said that Americans are “turning their backs on religion.”

Certainly there were some disheartening findings in the study, but it was also a glass half full or half empty perspective. For example of the 51 percent who say that they regularly attend church, 23 percent say that they have always been regular attendees.  However, 27 percent say that they are attending now more than in the past.

The study focused largely on religious decline, the positive here is that Americans who are regularly attending church now appear to be deepening their faith. More are saying that they are more likely to attend church now than they were in the past.

Also overlooked by many was the finding that of the 49 percent who say that they rarely attend church, most say that this is nothing new, only 22 percent say that they attend less now than in the past.