Community Christian Church
  • Home
  • About
    • We Believe
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Prayer Requests
    • Assistance Resources
  • Events
  • Sermons
    • Current Series
    • Guest Sermons
    • Sermon Archives
    • Live
  • From Tyler's Desk
  • Links
  • Donate
Picture

Harvard Gives Christianity a Face Lift

2/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In an interesting January 23, 2018 on-line article by the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins notes that researchers have been trying to get a read on the state of Christianity in America. That is, they are trying to determine whether Christianity is growing or dying out in the U.S. Up until now, reports have been saying that Christianity is on the way out as the major religion of our nation. After years of hearing the same dire predictions, even churchgoers probably assumed the country's faith had dwindled. The headlines have constantly talked about declining church attendance and the millennials' rejection of faith. But are these stories true?
 
A recent Harvard University study shows that U.S. Christianity isn't only alive, but growing. It's a surprising thing to swallow with the media's drumbeat of declining Christian influence, but powerful new statistics point to a resurgence of the faith that the media has seemed to dismiss. In a lengthy commentary by Glenn Stanton in The Federalist, he pours over the data and explains, "Not only did their examination find no support for this secularization in terms of actual practice and belief, the researchers proclaim that religion continues to enjoy 'persistent and exceptional intensity' in America. These researchers hold our nation 'remains an exceptional outlier and potential counter example to the secularization thesis.'"
 
Believe it or not, the authors of Harvard's report "found that the percentage of church-attending Americans relative to overall population is more than four times greater today than it was in 1776." In fact, Stanton points out, "The number of attendees has continued to rise each and every decade over our nation's history right up until the present day."
 
Despite the hemorrhaging of mainline congregations, most analysts say the brunt of the losses are liberal churches. "When the so-called 'progressive' churches question the historicity of Jesus, deny the reality of sin, support abortion, ordain clergy in same-sex relationships and perform their marriages, people desiring real Christianity head elsewhere," Stanton reminds people. "Fact: evangelical churches gain five new congregants exiled from the liberal churches for every one they lose for any reason. They also do a better job of retaining believers from childhood to adulthood than do mainline churches."
 
Christianity is shifting not dying. The number of people who read their Bible, go to church weekly, and pray regularly has been "steel-bar constant" for the last half-century. "Patently persistent," as Harvard calls it. It also happens to be in astounding contrast to other nations. "Attending services more than once a week continues to be twice as high among Americans compared to the next highest-attending industrial country, and three times higher than the average comparable nation."
 
What about the doom and gloom we keep hearing about millennials leaving the church? Is the next generation as lost as the media makes it out to be? Yes and no. One thing to keep in mind about Pew's research and others', Stanton cautions, is that a lot of these millennials who are "abandoning their faith" didn't have much to begin with. "Pew reports that of young adults who left their faith, only 11 percent said they had a strong faith in childhood while 89 percent said they came from a home that had a very weak faith in belief and practice." Questioning your beliefs, he points out, is also just part of the maturation process.
 
So the next time you hear that Christianity is "going the way of the Yellow Pages," don't buy it. Some people only argue that to disparage and diminish you. Don't let them. Rather than listen to their words, listen to the words of Jesus who said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Stay strong, Christian! As long as there are Christians living out their faith every day, faith is alive and well in America!
 
Working together to win together with you,
Tyler

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

​Facebook

Contact

​Subscribe

Watch

Blog


VISIT 400 E. State Street (M-21), St. Johns
CALL (989) 224-6421

JOIN US!

SUNDAY

9:30 am
Adult & Children's Bible Study
​
10:30 am
Worship Service
WEDNESDAY

7:00 pm
Kids of the Kingdom (K-5th)
​& Adult Bible Study
FRIDAY

4:30 pm

​Jr & Sr High School Group
  • Home
  • About
    • We Believe
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Prayer Requests
    • Assistance Resources
  • Events
  • Sermons
    • Current Series
    • Guest Sermons
    • Sermon Archives
    • Live
  • From Tyler's Desk
  • Links
  • Donate