Reading Time: 8 minutes Recently, I showed you this new Gallup poll bearing yet more bad news for Christians (here’s the original story). In it, we learned that fewer than half of Gallup’s survey respondents said they belonged to a church. Church-belonging Christians now represent a minority in America. And you can guess that Christian leaders — especially from the really authoritarian, reality-challenged flavors — don’t like that poll at all. Today, let me show you some responses to the news, and what I discovered when I went to find out what Christians plan to do about it.
Survey Says..!
Posted inReligion, Science
It’s All in How You Ask the Questions: Christian Polls
Reading Time: 7 minutes How questioners phrase their questions really matters — and quite a few Christians very obviously do not want to gather accurate information.
Posted inReligion
That Gallup Church-Membership Survey: More Devastating Than It Seems
Reading Time: 5 minutes Hi and welcome back! Recently, Gallup released a new survey they did. In it, they asked Americans about their religious affiliations. And oh dear, Gallup got back some bad news for Christians! For the first time ever, fewer than 50% of Americans claimed membership in any churches! Today, let me show you this survey — […]
Posted inParenting & Family
The childfree life: Parenthood is becoming less popular
Reading Time: 8 minutes Even as a child, I knew that parenthood wouldn’t ever be for me. At the time (the 1970s), this decision marked me as a completely transgressive weirdo. I got some serious flack for it from people who thought they were qualified to tell me what I wanted out of life. I even faced reproductive sabotage from my then-husband! But according to a recent Pew Research study, it seems like more and more young adults are choosing the childfree life these days.
Posted inReligion
Pew Research Surveyed Christians’ Attitudes Toward Casual Sex
Reading Time: 7 minutes Hi and welcome back! I promised you a palate cleanser yesterday, and here it is! See, Pew Research recently released the results of a survey they conducted about casual sex. In it, they asked people in various religious groups (including Nones and atheists) what they thought about sex. The results give us quite a lot of […]
Posted inReligion
The Fatally-Flawed 2019 Discipleship Survey
Reading Time: 8 minutes Today, we examine what’s wrong with the 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment survey. Its flaws tell us something important about its real purpose–and how it fits into Christianity’s ongoing decline.
Posted inReligion
The Fatally-Flawed LifeWay 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment Survey
Reading Time: 8 minutes Last time we met up, I showed you a really awful LifeWay study about evangelism. Or rather, I guess, it concerned Christians’ lack of evangelistic fervor. Then, I examined the background of the study. There, we discovered that it simply confirmed what we already knew about Christians’ ongoing and general lack of enthusiasm for person-to-person sales pitches. Today, we examine what’s wrong with the 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment. Its flaws tell us something important about its real purpose–and how it fits into Christianity’s ongoing decline.
Posted inReligion
Wait, HOW Many Churches Close Per Year?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Recently, I mentioned a startling figure making the rounds in Christian-Land: this notion that 6000-10000 churches per year close in the United States. At the time, I couldn’t find the source for the figure. Today, though, I want to dive into it and see where it comes from, if I can, and figure out if it’s accurate. Then we’ll look at what it means.
Posted inReligion
Book Review: Women v. Religion (LSP #57)
Reading Time: 6 minutes Today, Lord Snow Presides over a book that gives voices to the growing and increasingly-vocal women in atheism.
Posted inReligion
Intentional Evangelism: Yay, ANOTHER Doomed Attempt to Save Christianity
Reading Time: 8 minutes Today, I’ll show you what this trendy phrase means, and why Christian leaders have latched onto it as hard as they have. Because I’m really helpful that way, I’ll also show you why it’s doomed to fail–just like everything else those leaders do to try to reverse their decade-long decline in membership and credibility.