To Verify

Percentage of Americans who believe in God or a universal force: 95

Who define God as “the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today”: 67

Percentage of American children living with father and mother, in 1960: 80.6

Percentage living with both parents today: 57.7

The average number of hours in a pastor’s work week: 60

Percentage of high school seniors who used marijuana during the school year: 30

Number of people enrolled in Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) programs in 1969: 325; In 1990: 6,738

Percentage of Americans favoring nondevotional instruction about various world religions in the public schools: 66

Number of times the average American goes to the mall in a month: 3; Amount spent per visit: $60

Percentage of Americans who say they have seen or sensed the presence of an angel: 13

The year bells are first known to have been used in a church: A.d. 560 The approximate year an organ was first used: A.d. 730

The percentage gang-related killings have increased since 1980: 371

Number of United Methodist churches that closed between 1890 and 1990: 45,000

Number of United Methodist churches open today: 38,000

************************** SOURCES–Belief in God: Virtual America (The Barna Report 1994-95). Living with parents: America’s Children 20by Donald Hernandez; U.S. Census Bureau; cited in USA Weekend, 202/2426/95. Work week: Alban Institute, cited in Moody, 11/94. Marijuana: Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, cited in the Chicago Tribune, 12/13/94. D.Min. programs: 20The Christian Century, 2/29/94. World religions: Gallup/Phi Delta Kappa poll, as reported in Emerging Trends, 11/94. Mall: Health, 10/94. Angels: Newsweek, 11/28/94. Bells and organs: Karl Hass on the syndicated radio program “Adventures in Good Music,” 12/23/94; Christian History Issue 28. Gang killings: FBI’s Uniform Crime Report for 1993, cited in USA Today, 12/5/94. Methodist churches: Lyle Schaller, in an address given 8/20/94.

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