Christianity Today

Persecution

Number of Christian martyrs every 24 hours:

1900s: 90

'70s: 1,030

'00s: 440

2011: 270*

2025: 410*

Source: Status of Global Mission, International Bulletin of Missionary Research

Church Life

1,600: Christian denominations worldwide in 1900.

18,800: In 1970.

42,000: In 2011.

400,000: Christian congregations worldwide in 1900.

1,433,000: In 1970.

3,500,000: In 2011.

Source: Status of Global Mission, International Bulletin of Missionary Research

Discipleship

5%: Among Christians who are involved in a church, those who say their church holds them accountable.

7%: Small-group attenders who say accountability is one of the functions fulfilled by their group.

Source: Barna Research

Celebrity

Protestant pastors who think the following are Christians:

Barack Obama: 23% of pastors who are Republicans, 80% of pastors who are Democrats.

Glenn Beck: 24% of pastors who are Republicans, 37% of pastors who are Democrats.

Source: Lifeway Research

Islam

23.4%: Global population that is Muslim.

26.4%: The world's Muslim population in 2030, if trends continue.

0.8%: U.S. population that is Muslim. It is projected to be 1.7% in 2030.

400,000: Christian congregations worldwide in 1900.

1,433,000: In 1970.

3,500,000: In 2011.

Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Economy

Church Foreclosures in the U.S.

2006: 2

2007:9

2008: 24

2009: 61

2010:96

Source: CoStar Group, NPR

71%: Megachurch pastors who said in April-May 2010 the economy is having a minimal impact on their church and its ministries.

58%: Megachurch pastors who said this in October 2010.

Source: Leadership Network

15%: Pastors of megachurches (2000+ attendance) who say offerings decreased between 2009 and 2010.

34%: Protestant pastors overall who said, in a separate survey, that offerings were down.

39%: In a third survey, churches overall who reported a decline in giving in 2010 from 2009.

Source: Leadership Network, Lifeway Research, State of the Plate

Technology

22%: Protestant churches that do not have a website.

42%: Of Protestant churches with websites, those that update them monthly or less often.

Source: Lifeway Research

Education

13%: Public high school biology teachers who explicitly advocate creationism in the classroom.

28%: Public high school biology teachers who explicitly advocate Darwinian evolution in the classroom.

Source: New York Times/Science

Youth

48%: American teens who say they "can think of a specific time recently when my religious beliefs actually changed the way I behaved."

34%: American teens who believe all religions teach equally valid truths.

65%: American teens who agreed that "when it comes to matters of morals and ethics, truth means different thingsto different people; no one can be absolutely positive that they have the truth."

Source: One Hope's "Spiritual State of Children"

Family

47%: American teenswho say they frequently feel proud of their father.

61%: American teens who say they frequently feel proud of their mother.

Source: One Hope's "Spiritual State of Children"

Theology

91%: British evangelicals who strongly agree that Jesus is the only way to God.

75%: British non-evangelicals who strongly agree.

Source: Evangelical Alliance/Christian Research"

Note: This online article combines "Go Figure" items from the February, March, and April 2001 issues of Christianity Today, as well as items that did not appear in the print magazine.

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Related Elsewhere:

See our earlier Go Figure postings from February 2011, January 2011, December 2010, November 2010, October 2010, September 2010, August 2010, July 2010, June 2010, May 2010, April 2010, March 2010, February 2010, January 2010, December 2009, and earlier issues.