The Barna Group, a research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture, released an overview of their 2010 survey and interview research.

Barna found several key patterns indicating, despite typically slow progress in church culture, that "the religious environment in the U.S. is morphing into something new."

The themes included the following:

1. The Christian church is becoming less theologically literate.
2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.
4. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
5. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian church.
6. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.

Barna notes,
"In a society in which choice is king, there are no absolutes, every individual is a free agent, we are taught to be self-reliant and independent, and Christianity is no longer the automatic, default faith of young adults, new ways of relating to Americans and exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith are required."

Read the full article on the six religious megathemes at the Barna Group.

What do you think? Do these themes ring true in your experience?