The hollowing out of American religion Its consequences for American politics are hard to exaggerate. Photo by BPBricklayer/Pixabay/Creative Commons April 5, 2021 (RNS) — Twenty-five years ago, when Trinity College hired me to create a center for the study of religion in public life, nearly 9 in 10 Americans asserted a religious identity. Now, according to Gallup, it’s 7 in 10. Then, two-thirds of Americans said they belonged to a religious congregation. Now, it’s less than half. As for weekly attendance, Gallup reports it down from 40% to 30%. Those numerical changes ma...