Go Figure | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Home > 2008 > September

Christianity Today, September, 2008

Go Figure

Religion coverage in the primary season, the difference between "churched" and "unchurched" America, and the abortion decline.

Compiled by Ted Olsen | posted 9/12/2008 09:39AM

Comments (5)

Related articles and links |

1 of 1

1.9% Media coverage in the presidential primary season that focused on religion.

2.1% Media coverage that focused on race or gender.

80.8% Media coverage that focused on campaign strategy and other "horse-race" elements.

(Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life)

40% "Unchurched" Americans (those who say they don't regularly attend services) who actually attend on occasion.

37% "Churched" Americans (those who say they are regular attenders) who don't attend at least weekly.

(Source: Ellison Research)

35% Likelihood in 1990 that a pregnancy in a U.S. woman under 18 ended in abortion.

29% Likelihood in 2004.

46% Drop in the pregnancy rate among women under 18 between 1990 and 2004.

(Source: National Vital Statistics Reports)

Related Elsewhere:

See our earlier Go Figure postings from August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008, December 2007, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, and earlier issues.

1 of 1

September 2008, Vol. 52, No. 9

Comments (5)

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

SGC

September 14, 2008 11:45pm

Roberto is just the cynical person whom God is really pointing out as His divine ambassador on earth, NOT! It is very positive to see these statistics and it is because an issue has been made out of it by people who care!

mary

September 13, 2008 7:49pm

THANK YOU Roberto for bringing up this point. christian conservatives have fallen hard for this political ploy. I was embarrased and saddened by Gov. Palins speech at the convention

Sharon G.

September 12, 2008 4:06pm

Hmmn! I wonder how many men are insisting that their wives bring in income and/or have abortions? Just Wondering.

Matt

September 12, 2008 3:59pm

Really? The percentage of women under the age of 18 who terminate their pregnancies went down by 6 percentage points in five years? That's not what I would have expected. I would have expected that number to increase. Interesting.

Roberto

September 12, 2008 2:49pm

The most surprising - "go figure" - events of the political season are: (1) abortion (which is in decline) is the single tenant left for social conservatives, (2) Evangelicals have developed a ho hum attitude toward premarital sex (witness J. Dobson's response to Bristol Palin's pregnancy), (3) women are no longer encouraged to be stay home mom's, no matter how many children, (4) juggling work, family, children and men who follow their wives around without saying a word seem are in vogue, (5) Alaska is God's chosen refuge during the coming Armageddon, (6) God has been using the Palestinians to punish Israel for not believing in Jesus, (7) it's ok to be a kooky White Pastor, but not a kooky Black Minister, (8) stem cell research is ok even though abortion is not, (8) it's okay to say that evangelicals are "agents of intolerance" as long as 8 years later you choose one as your running mate and (9) according to Cindy McCain, John McCain does not really want to over turn Roe v. Wade.

You must be a Christianity Today subscriber or have created a FREE registration to post comments