Leadership Journal

Bible

Number of places in the United States named after something in the Bible: 61,742

Culture

Books about the O. J. Simpson case already in print, forthcoming, or under contract: 50

Number of new suspects: 0

Death

The average cost of a funeral in the U.S.: $4,500

Divorce

Pollster Louis Harris has written, "The idea that half of American marriages are doomed is one of the most specious pieces of statistical nonsense ever perpetuated in modern times."

It all began when the Census Bureau noted that during one year, there were 2.4 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. Someone did the math without calculating the 54 million marriages already in existence, and presto, a ridiculous but quotable statistic was born.

Harris concludes, "Only one out of eight marriages will end in divorce. In any single year, only about 2 percent of existing marriages will break up."

States offering no-fault divorce in 1957: 1

States offering no-fault divorce in 1995: 50

Percentage of unchurched teens who think it is too easy to get a divorce: 75

Percentage of unchurched teens who consider it likely they will divorce one day: 44

Evangelism

Percentage of pastors who said Christians in their church were effectively prepared for evangelism: 12

Percentage of Christians who actively share their faith and wish they had better training in evangelism: 85

Gambling

Number of Americans who visit U.S. casinos each year: 90,000,000

Estimated amount wagered per visit: $25-$100

Total amount wagered in all legal forms of gambling in the U.S. in 1994: $482 billion

By contrast, the approximate cost to Americans for the Gulf War: $100 billion

Heroes

Sixty percent of kids ages 9-13 say they have a hero. The top five categories for their heroes:

1. Relatives/Friends 52.9

2. Athletes 31.5

3. Religious Figures 11.3

4. Fictional Characters 11.3

5. Political/Historical 8.7

Hurry

Annual cost of running red lights (in medical bills, car repairs, etc.): $7 billion

Average amount of time saved by running a red light: 50 seconds

Last Updated: September 17, 1996