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| Monroe County |
(Thanks C.F. for the link!)
Just when we all thought the "nones" were taking over, a recent Harvard study says otherwise.
See "New Harvard Research Says U.S. Christianity Is Not Shrinking, But Growing Stronger."
Some highlights are:
The Harvard study questions the "secularization thesis."
It comes down to what kind of religious faith we are talking about.
Mainline churches are declining. But this does not mean their people are leaving their faith.
"The percentage of Americans who attend church more than once a week, pray daily, and accept the Bible as wholly reliable and deeply instructive to their lives has remained absolutely, steel-bar constant for the last 50 years or more, right up to today."
There is a growing gulf between "the faithful" and "the dabblers." The first group is getting larger.
"If your church is theologically liberal or merely lukewarm, it’s likely laying off staff and wondering how to pay this month’s light bill. People are navigating toward substantive Christianity."
There's much more in the essay, plus a link to the study.
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My two books are:
