A new survey from the American Bible Society reveals that fewer than half of Americans now believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ — the first time a major national survey has recorded belief in that foundational truth below 50 percent. According to the society's annual State of the Bible report, just 49 percent of Americans believe the virgin birth is at least probably true.

The findings, reported by The Christian Post, extend beyond the birth of Christ. Only 53 percent of Americans believe in Jesus' resurrection, and just 44 percent believe God miraculously parted the Red Sea. These are not side details of the faith; they are the very claims on which Christianity stands or falls. The virgin birth declares that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, God in the flesh. The resurrection declares His victory over death and the grave.

The survey drew responses from 2,649 Americans, collected January 8 through 27 of this year. Earlier surveys showed higher numbers — Pew Research Center recorded belief in the virgin birth at 73 percent in 2014 and 66 percent in 2017 — though different wording and survey methods make exact comparisons difficult.

There is a question here bigger than public opinion. Christianity helped shape the conviction that every person bears God's image, that the vulnerable deserve care, and that human authority answers to a higher moral law. A culture that drifts from the truths that formed it should not be surprised when the fruits of those truths begin to wither as well.

But the report carries good news within the church. Among practicing Christians, 97 percent believe in the virgin birth, 99 percent affirm the resurrection of Jesus, and 92 percent believe in the parting of the Red Sea. Biblical conviction remains strong where the Bible is read and taught. The church that sits under the preaching of the Word still believes the Word.

Spiritual hunger is still widespread in America: 62 percent of Americans believe in the supernatural. That means millions of people are looking for something greater than themselves — and many simply have not yet opened the Bible to find it.

John Farquhar Plake, the American Bible Society's chief innovation officer, said, "It's our responsibility to help our fellow Americans open the Bible and experience a life-changing encounter with God." That responsibility belongs to every believer: clear preaching, patient discipleship, and a faithful personal witness.

Before God's people point at the culture, the Bible calls them to look in the mirror. Revival has always begun with the house of God. When the church opens its Bible, teaches its children, and proclaims Jesus Christ with conviction, the nation around it cannot help but notice.