By Project Arctos TEam

The Bible is full of history. We look back and see how God moved and spoke to His people. Yet, we read the Bible not only to look back but also to learn and interact with God as He speaks to today.

As we enter a new year, we invite you to explore some trends we’ve found from last year and see how the history of this past year and God’s Word might speak to our hearts moving forward.

These trends in the US were pulled from survey data by the Pew Research Center, as outlined by Katherine Schaeffer. [1] There are many more trends from the research, but we’ve focused on a few that we felt were especially important to reflect on with God for the coming year.

Before you read on, we ask that you read through these items with an open heart. Some topics may give you a strong emotional response but we ask that you seek to see how God is moving before jumping to any conclusions. In addition, we know numbers can be twisted and used in ways that don’t reflect reality. While we did our best to be accurate, we ask that God gives us all discernment to properly interpret what He has given us to see.

We will cover 5 trends in this article:

1. TEEN Internet Usage

2. Surge in Drug Overdose Deaths for BLACK MEN

3. Shrinking MIDDLE CLASS

4. View of REPARATIONS

5. JOURNALISM and Equal Reporting

I. TEEN INTERNET USE

Trend:

Nearly half of U.S. teens now say they use the internet almost constantly (2014-2015: 24%, 2022: 46%). [2]

Additional context:

According to the Pew Research Center, “since 2014-15, there has been a 22-point rise in the share of teens who report having access to a smartphone (from 73% then to 95% now)” with little changes in access to desktops, laptops, and gaming consoles. [3]

According to another Pew Research survey around social media use, as of 2022, the top five most used apps were YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and then a distant fifth, Facebook. 95% of 13-17 year olds use YouTube, 67% use TikTok, 62% Instagram, 59% Snapchat, and then 32% Facebook with about 10-20% of YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat users stating they use those apps almost constantly (vs. 2% of the Facebook users who said they use the app almost constantly).

Potential Consequences:

Nearly half of U.S. teens say they use the internet pretty much all the time. This means they are almost always connected to a device, such as a smartphone or laptop, in order to access the internet. [4]

The internet is a powerful tool. With the internet, we can look up answers to our questions, connect with others, and find both work and entertainment. The internet makes information available and transmissible much more quickly than other forms of technology and also allows for greater levels of anonymity.

While the survey above interviewed teenagers, I believe this increased use of the internet is a growing trend for those of many different ages.

In some ways, we may be tempted to play as a god, one who sees all and knows all, where Google is our oracle or guide. In addition, we may find a temptation to fill our time with noise.

Key Questions to Ask:

1. Do you know what the teens in your life are doing online? Is increased access to the internet a good thing or a danger? Does your church see the internet as an important aspect of the overall ministry?

2. When the microwave was invented, it saved us time like many other devices, but saving time often doesn’t appear to “save us time”. What went wrong?

Potential dangers:

Noise: When God appeared to Elijah, He did not appear in the storm, but in a still, small voice. We believe attentiveness to God’s Spirit requires quietness and a willingness to listen. With increasingly less empty space (where we can entertain ourselves at all moments) comes a greater necessity of intentionality in quietness.

Lack of Patience (ultimately, lack of love): Love is defined with two words: patience and kindness (see 1 Corinthians 13). Everything technological seems to be a move towards efficiency and meeting our desires quickly. Lack of obstacles may mean lack of character development. When information is much more easily at hand and when whatever we order comes to us quickly, we may adapt and lose patience as we interact with others.

Potential Opportunities:

Increased chances to connect: The internet allows us to communicate with people from around the world. This means there may be new opportunities to connect with others, pray together, and collaborate with one another.

Increased potential reach: Social media apps, where teens spend a lot of their time, can be a ready way to get Christian messages and influences in front of kids without having to get them to come to a church or youth group to hear it. By creating engaging social media accounts or spending a small amount on social media advertising, Christians can target and more easily reach teens in their locale who they might otherwise never have come in contact with.

Potential Helpful Readings:

The Techwise Family by Andy Crouch

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II. SURGE IN DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS FOR BLACK MEN

Trend:

Drug overdose death rate among Black men in the U.S. MORE THAN TRIPLED between 2015 and 2022 from 17.3 deaths per 100,000 people to 54.1 deaths per 100,000 people. [5]

Additional context:

According to Pew Research, almost 92,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2020, up from about 70,000 in 2017. During the same time period, the rate of fatal overdoses rose from 21.7 to 28.3 per 100,000 people.6 At the same time, the percentage of Americans who believe drug overdoses are a major problem in their communities dropped by about 7%. [7]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in counties with more income inequality, there were greater disparities in overdose deaths, particularly among Black people, where the rate was more than two times as high in areas with more income inequality versus those with less income inequality. [8]

Potential Consequences:

Why has there been such a great increase in drug overdose deaths for Black men? We can only guess until more studies are done, but we do know that monthly drug overdose deaths trended much higher during the pandemic and that areas with greater income inequality meant higher rates of overdose deaths. [9] Deaths affect families and communities, and how the larger community responds (or doesn’t respond) to these deaths will likely affect the community in the future.

Disproportionately affected families: As Black families in higher inequality areas are disrupted by the tragedy of their lost loved ones, the same types of elements that may be leading to this increase in overdose deaths are more likely to increase and perpetuate the trend. Meaning, without interventions in these communities, life will be harder for every family affected.

Key Questions to Ask:

1. What societal factors might have led to this increase?

2. What is your church doing to learn about and assist those struggling with addiction in your locale?

Potential dangers:

Walking by: If you’re not Black, you may be tempted to ignore this or issue blame. It’s easy to ignore a plight that seems unrelated to you. This does not reflect the heart of Christ.

Fixing without listening: It’s easy to want to fix a problem and maybe even honorable to want to, but it’s important to walk as Christ, to listen and step into someone’s world and learn about what’s really going on and go from there.

Just as there are different ways to address different kinds of people, we believe it’s important to understand different types of situations and what might be required. According to the “Cynefin framework” created by Dave Snowden, there are five kinds of contexts for making decisions, with four main types:

Potential Opportunities:

Opportunity to Love: Opportunity to connect with others and to live out God’s love and mature in Christ. Many reading this article likely are not Black; stepping out to care for those who are different from you reflects God’s love.

Opportunity to Lean Towards Solutions: Using tools like the Cynefin framework mentioned above, we can make sure we’re properly identifying problems like this as ‘complex’ rather than make quick judgements or support false solutions. The tendency is to classify most problems outside of our immediate impact zone as ‘simple,’ which usually ends up removing us from doing the hard work of real-world solutions.

III. SHRINKING MIDDLE CLASS

Trend:

Share of aggregate U.S. household income held by the middle class has fallen steadily since 1970 from 62% in 1970 to 42% in 2020. The upper income tier has a growing share plus more rapid growth in their earnings. The lower income tier (those already living in poverty) dropped even further, from 10% to 8%. [10]

Additional context:

Middle class can mean a variety of things, from economic status to professions to home ownership. In this survey, a middle class income is defined as earning between $52,000 to $156,000 per year in 2020 dollars for a household of three. [11]

Some main contributing factors in recent years:

The 2008 financial crisis, caused by irresponsible bank and financial institution practices, among other factors, had a significant impact on the middle class, leading to job losses and reduced income for many households. [12] This has been compounded by a lack of affordable housing, with most families now spending over 30% of their income on mortgage or rent. [13]

Rising healthcare and education costs: The cost of healthcare and education has risen significantly in recent years (increasing on average more than 4% every year). [14]

Increasing income inequality: The gap between the rich and poor in the US continues to grow: the top 1% of households in the United States earns on average 20.5 times as much as the bottom 99% of households. [15]

Potential Consequences:

A wider stratification of wealth means more concentrated power in fewer people, which will give the working class less and less social political influence over time. As the middle class shrinks, so may funding for local churches and community service non-profits.

Key Questions to Ask:

1. How will this decrease affect people’s giving?

2. How can your church prepare to support more struggling families?

Potential dangers:

Greater polarization: As the wealth gap widens and the middle class’ influence is reduced, fewer and fewer voices seem to be setting the tone and dominating public discussions. More and more this will have everyday middle and lower class people left to merely pick a side, rather than express and share their own voices and potential solutions.

Greater Consumeristic Rat Racing: The more those in the middle class have to focus on working more just to keep up, the less time and energy they will have for Kingdom and community focuses. They will have less church time and resources, less family time, and less time to reflect and listen for God in their lives.

Potential Opportunities:

Renewed Focus on Communities: Potential for churches to become more community focused and put resources toward helping families thrive.

Opportunities for Kingdom Living: Opportunities to highlight Biblical financial and societal organizing principles, such as Jubilee-type rhythms, where intentional pauses are built in so that the land, our systems, and the people who need it most might find rest. [16]

IV. VIEW OF REPARATIONS

Trend:

View of reparations for slavery vary widely by race and ethnicity, especially between Black and White Americans. 77% of Black Americans say that descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way, while 18% of White Americans say that descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way. [17]

What are reparations? Reparations are related to reparative justice, which we defined in the past as serving to make amends for a wrong done to another. It is one of the first steps in restoring a relationship. If someone wrongs you, it’s often not enough for them to say sorry, they often need to show remorse by helping restore what was broken. The idea is a whole bodied restoration, not partially financial nor partially relational, but interconnected as a holistic response.

Additional context:

Before the Civil War, the South (of the U.S.) grew 60% of the world’s cotton and about 70% of the cotton used by the British textile industry. [18] The vast majority of this cotton was grown with slave labor. Much of the wealth used to grow and develop the United States came from slave labor. Not only that, many industries in the North (of the U.S.) provided services related to the cotton industry (i.e. textile factories, shippers, etc.). [19] This means a lot of the foundational infrastructure of American growth came from slave labor.

Potential Consequences:

Why would we be held responsible for something someone else did? Yet, we see this from the idea of original sin, from Adam, affecting all of humanity. In the West, we can struggle with this idea, but it’s very natural to understand in other cultures. For example, in 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho, a man who immigrated to the United States at the age of 8, [20] killed 32 people in a shooting at Virginia Tech, many Koreans feared backlash and some groups of Koreans apologized for his actions. [21] If we know that we are benefiting from something unjust, is it not our responsibility as the Church to respond in some way?

Key Questions to Ask:

1. How well have you tried to understand the long-term effects of slavery?

2. How are we called, as the Church in the U.S., to respond to a history of slavery in the United States?

Potential dangers:

Rationalize: Some people say that rationalizing is just telling rational lies. We often would rather give reasons for why something doesn’t apply to us than choose to do what is harder. In thinking of reparations, we know there was a wrong done regarding slavery, but there has not been any kind of restitution. Is this right?

Fleshly Approach: Some of us may think that restitution is one dimensional, only related to things like money. The situation is complex and requires more than a simple delivered check. Jesus came to reconcile us with God and one another. The problem is much deeper than mere money.

Theological Mire: We can argue about whether corporate sin is biblical or not (and we think this is important to reflect on), but we can also end up like the Pharisees, seeking to push for rules and systems over helping out those in need.

Potential Opportunities:

Ambassadors: We are called to be Christ’s ambassadors and to the ministry of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:11-21). Regardless of beliefs on corporate sin, we are called to be peacemakers and to live justly. This is an opportunity for the Church to shine in the world.

New and Deeper Friendships: If we begin with an earnest desire to understand, and resist the urge for quick solutions, conversations on reparations in your church or community may lead to more healing and tighter bonds between black and white neighbors (and other groups of people). While complex and socially charged, a conversation with the right heart can help break down generations-old barriers to the glory of God’s Kingdom.

V. JOURNALISM AND EQUAL REPORTING

Trend:

Most U.S. adults believe journalists should try to give every side equal coverage (76% vs 22%, equal vs. not). Most U.S. journalists believe not every side deserves equal coverage (44% vs. 55%, equal vs. not). [22]

Additional context:

According to Pew Research, those who don’t trust the news tend to say journalists should give every side equal coverage while journalists who view misinformation as a problem tend to say not every side deserves equal coverage. [23]

Potential Consequences:

Pilate once rhetorically asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (see John 18:28-40), and today we often ask the same question. At the core of this question is the issue of how to determine what is true or not. Is it up to the reader to decide based on arguments presented? Or is it up to the news to present only the information they decide is relevant?

In a world where it becomes easier and easier to create fake images and videos and where anyone can post something for everyone with internet access to read, how do we determine what is true or not? Should the truth be decided upon by what’s most popular or by who said it?

Key Questions to Ask:

1. Do you feel like you have access to reliable news information?

2. What does reliable news look like and how do you know?

Potential dangers:

Being Deceived: We do not want to be like the naïve or “simpleminded” who may be easily led astray. Failure to discern or choosing to blindly believe what we hear can lead to the Church acting as a poor witness to the call of Christ.

Deceiving Others: As followers of Jesus, we claim to follow what is true. We sometimes can mistake following the one who is Truth to mean that we or our leaders are always right in all domains. We may have the Holy Spirit but that doesn’t mean we know everything. When we need someone to teach, do we not seek someone knowledgeable about the subject? When we are sick do we not see a doctor? So why would we automatically assume that we or anyone else is an automatic expert in all domains?

Christian Discernment: Whether we blindly trust our preferred news sources, public figures, or pastors, or trust in our own abilities to discern what is true, we cut out the most important piece of good Christian discernment: talking with God. If we trust the word of someone else (as Adam and Eve listened to the snake in the garden) or decide for ourselves what is right and wrong (as Adam and Eve did by taking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil), we’re committing the same age-old sin of failing to abide in God’s leadership and fellowship.

Potential Opportunities:

Light in the World: In a time when trust in institutions is low, there is a chance for the Church to practice and teach discernment. The Church values the truth and in doing so, should be positioned in a way unlike the world which seeks to put its desires as of first importance. In following Christ, we should shine in our adherence to what is good and right, not what is easy or expedient.

Relying on God: The difficulty of navigating world news is a perfect opportunity to exercise and strengthen our daily personal relationship with God. (If this seems daunting, we recommend Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubock as a good starting point for developing a daily conversation with God).

Footnotes

1 We encourage you to read the rest of the trends on https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/

2 Katherine Schaeffer, “Striking Findings from 2022,” Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

3 Ibid.

4 Sara Atske, “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022,” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/.

5 Katherine Schaeffer, “Striking Findings from 2022,” Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 “Overdose Death Rates Increased Significantly for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native People in 2020,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 18, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0719-overdose-rates-vs.html.

9 John Gramlich, “Recent Surge in U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Has Hit Black Men the Hardest,” Pew Research Center, January 21, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/19/recent-surge-in-u-s-drug-overdose-deathshas-hit-black-men-the-hardest/.

10 Katherine Schaeffer, “Striking Findings from 2022,” Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

11 Rakesh Kochhar and Stella Sechopoulos, “How the American Middle Class Has Changed in the Past Five Decades,” Pew Research Center, April 21, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/04/20/how-the-american-middle-class-has-changed-in-the-past-five-decades/.

12 “The Global Financial Crisis: Explainer: Education,” Reserve Bank of Australia, October 4, 2018, https://www.rba.gov.au/education/resources/explainers/the-global-financial-crisis.html.

13 Katherine Schaeffer, “Key Facts about Housing Affordability in the U.S.,” Pew Research Center, March 23, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2022/03/23/key-facts-about-housing-affordability-in-the-u-s/.

14 “NHE Fact Sheet,” CMS, accessed January 18, 2023, https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nhe-fact-sheet.

15 “Top Wealth in America: New Estimates under Heterogeneous Returns | Princeton University - Department of Economics,” Princeton University, accessed January 18, 2023, https://economics.princeton.edu/working-papers/top-wealth-in-america-new-estimates-under-heterogenous-returns/.

16 See Leviticus 25 for more on the year of Jubilee.

17 Katherine Schaeffer, “Striking Findings from 2022,” Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

18 Steven Mintz, "Historical Context: Was Slavery the Engine of American Economic Growth?," Th e Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, accessed January 12, 2023, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-was-slavery-engine-american-economic-growth.

19 Ibid.

20 “Seung-Hui Cho,” Wikipedia, January 12, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung-Hui_Cho.

21 Richard Kim, “One of My Own,” The Nation, June 29, 2015, https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/one-my-own/.

22 Katherine Schaeffer, “Striking Findings from 2022,” Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

23 Naomi Forman-Katz and Mark Jurkowitz, “U.S. Journalists Differ from the Public in Their Views of 'Bothsidesism' in Journalism,” Pew Research Center, July 14, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/07/13/u-s-journalists-differ-from-the-public-in-their-views-of-bothsidesism-in-journalism/.

Works Cited

Atske, Sara. “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/.

Forman-Katz, Naomi, and Mark Jurkowitz. “U.S. Journalists Differ from the Public in Their Views of 'Bothsidesism' in Journalism.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, July 14, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/07/13/u-s-journalists-differ-from-the-public-in-their-views-of-bothsidesism-in-journalism/.

Gramlich, John. “Recent Surge in U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Has Hit Black Men the Hardest.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, January 21, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/19/recent-surge-in-u-s-drug-overdose-deaths-has-hit-black-men-the-hardest/.

Kim, Richard. “One of My Own.” The Nation, June 29, 2015. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/one-my-own/.

Kochhar, Rakesh, and Stella Sechopoulos. “How the American Middle Class Has Changed in the Past Five Decades.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, April 21, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/04/20/how-the-american-middle-class-has-changed-in-the-past-five-decades/.

Mintz, Steven. "Historical Context: Was Slavery the Engine of American Economic Growth?." Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Accessed January 12, 2023. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-was-slavery-engine-american-economic-growth.

“NHE Fact Sheet.” CMS. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statisticstrends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nhe-fact-sheet.

“Overdose Death Rates Increased Significantly for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native People in 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 18, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0719-overdose-rates-vs.html.

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts about Housing Affordability in the U.S.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, March 23, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/23/key-facts-about-housing-affordability-in-the-u-s/.

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Striking Findings from 2022.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, December 15, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/13/striking-findings-from-2022/.

“Seung-Hui Cho.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 12, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung-Hui_Cho.

“The Global Financial Crisis: Explainer: Education.” Reserve Bank of Australia, October 4, 2018. https://www.rba.gov.au/education/resources/explainers/the-global-financial-crisis.html.

“Top Wealth in America: New Estimates under Heterogeneous Returns | Princeton University - Department of Economics.” Princeton University. The Trustees of Princeton University. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://economics.princeton.edu/working-papers/top-wealth-in-america-new-estimates-under-heterogenous-returns/.