News

Go Figure

Recent statistics on converts’ zeal, faith-based funding, preaching social issues, and other topics.

Evangelism

29% Converts (people who have switched religions) who say they share their faith at least weekly.

20% Those who still belong to their childhood faith who say they share their faith at least weekly.

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Faith-Based Initiative

Americans who think it is okay for churches to apply for government funding to provide social services.

2001: Republicans: 81% Democrats: 70%

2009: Republicans: 66% Democrats: 77%

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Preaching

84% Of pastors who speak to their church on homosexuality several times a year or more, those who also speak on poverty that often.

78% Of pastors who rarely or never speak on homosexuality, those who those who also speak on poverty several times a year or more.

Lifeway Research

Television

Profanities in an hour of broadcast prime-time television:

1990: 5.5 2001: 7.6 2005: 9.8

New York Times

Church Life

28% Megachurch pastors’ spouses who are also employed by the church.

34% Megachurch pastors’ spouses who work outside the church.

37% Megachurch pastors’ spouses who are not employed outside the home.

Leadership Network

Church Life

22% Americans who say they have never attended a religious service (2006)

9% Americans who said this in 1972.

General Social Survey

Minority Affairs

27% Americans who say there is a lot of discrimination against evangelical Christians.

24% Evangelicals who say they are a part of a religious minority.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Government

53% Americans who think the government “should promote traditional values in our society.”

48% Americans who said this a year ago.

Gallup

Church Life

10% of American churches contain half of all churchgoers in the country.

National Congregations Study

Sexual Ethics

1 in 33 Women who attend worship services monthly or more who have been the object of a sexual advance by a religious leader.

67% Clergy in the incidents who were married at the time of the advance.

The Washington Post

Belief

15% American adults who do not identify with a religious identity, also known as “Nones.”

22% Americans 18-29 who identify as “Nones.”

27% “Nones” who say a personal God definitely exists.

American Religious Identification Study

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Related Elsewhere:

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

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

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