The new Bible Belt: What happens when people base community values in Christianity

‘Southerners are more likely to attend a religious service every week’


No matter what part of the country you’re from, you’ve probably heard or even used the phrase “Bible Belt” to describe a typically Christian area in the American South. According to Pew Research Center, 76% of Southern adults are Christian. However, in the Midwest, 73% of adults are Christian and in the Northeast 65% of adults are Christian.

What’s different about Christianity in the South and why are no other regions labeled “The Bible Belt?”

Essentially, it’s “an area chiefly in the southern United States whose inhabitants are believed to hold uncritical allegiance to the literal accuracy of the Bible or more broadly, an area characterized by ardent religious fundamentalism.”

Even today, people living in the South are more likely to attend a religious service every week, more likely to pray daily, more likely to read scripture and more likely to interpret the Bible literally.

Placing such importance on the literal interpretation of the Bible, tied with the importance of faith in the lives of Southern Christians, has led to a tradition of fundamentalist social and political ideals.

Some young people find this tradition comforting, such as Dylan Larino of NC, who says The Bible Belt means “living in a heavily religious region with a culture that has Judeo-Christian values at its roots. As someone whose religion is very important to his life, I love it.”

Meanwhile, others find it suffocating. Sara Pequeno of NC says, “I loved having a built-in community through my church, but I also have a lot of former classmates who were conservative Christians that were incredibly rude to me when it came to politics.”

“There was a huge ordeal in my hometown when a woman became a preacher because the MA Baptist Association forced her to resign just because she was a woman.”

Whatever your views may be on basing community values in Christianity, it is becoming increasingly important to consider how fundamentalist traditions are impacting the livelihoods of Americans living in the South and across the country.

This year, the state of North Carolina passed a House Bill that requires people to use the bathroom that is designated for their biological sex rather than their self-identifying gender. Some members of the media argue this decision was made in order to deny transgender individuals of validity or acceptance due to beliefs that gender is preordained.

Meanwhile, the South has been a stronghold for presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump after he won almost the entire region in the primary races. Despite the fact that Trump’s campaign has thrived on discriminatory rhetoric, many consider him a herald of fundamentalist traditions.

Although some Christian fundamentalists believe that Christianity is being forcefully removed from the American lifestyle, it is important to remember that Christians are a majority in this country and hold the largest amount of power in both government and media.

This is an incredible responsibility to hold and a wonderful opportunity to ensure that all people are being accepted. After all, that is what scripture describes as our eternal duty to one another.