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Title: Faith & values: New survey suggests marked decline in Christian affiliation
Source:
IndeOnline.com
URL Source: http://www.indeonline.com/article/20150530/LIFESTYLE/150529155
Published: May 30, 2015
Author: Charita Goshay
Post Date: 2015-05-31 18:10:08 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 1102
Comments: 2
According to “America's Changing Religious Landscape,” the Christian share of the population has declined from 78.4 percent in 2007, to 70.6 percent in 2014, with the biggest dropoffs taking place among mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. In 1999, Chris Bolinger and his family joined the Evangelical Covenant Church in Hudson, where they found a thriving congregation of more than 300 members. By 2004, it was down to 100 people. It closed in 2009. […] The Very Rev. Daniel Rogich of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Canton said that if the church expects to remain viable and influential, Christians must re-embrace an authentic faith. “There is an old saying, ‘Talk is cheap,’ meaning that so many….see an abundance of hypocrisy in Christian churches — clergy abusers, religious wars, little care for the poor and suffering, lack of openness toward all people, lack of parental morals — that they are turned off to the point of not desiring any connection to a local church,” Rogich said. “But as a professor of theology at Walsh University, I can attest to one truth: Although there is a growing number of ‘nones,’ even among those 50 and under, the thirst for faith and strong belief is still there. It is just high time for Christians in the pew to practice another old saying, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’ ” [Boldness Added]. […] Read the complete article here.
“It sent me into a depression,” he recalled. “It was the only church my kids had ever known.”
The closing of Bolinger’s church illustrates a new report by the Pew Research Center that suggests that Christianity in the U.S. is falling off in numbers too large to ignore.
According to “America’s Changing Religious Landscape,” the Christian share of the population has declined from 78.4 percent in 2007, to 70.6 percent in 2014, with the biggest dropoffs taking place among mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics.
The report further states that while the biggest decline in Christian affiliation is taking place among young adults, it is happening among people of all ages. It also found that:
• “Nones” or the religiously non-affiliated, now outnumber Catholics and mainline Protestants, at 56 million people.
• The percentage of college graduates who identify as Christians has fallen by 9 percent since 2007.
• The share of people who identify with other faiths rose from 4.7 percent in 2007, to 5.9 percent in 2014.
Bolinger said he isn’t surprised by the findings. He left the corporate world 18 months ago to form Revitalize Ministries, which focuses on church growth and sustainability.
“An estimated 80 percent of churches are flat or declining; 5,600 close every year,” he said. “Three churches close in Ohio every week. It’s not just certain types of churches. The Southern Baptists, which is the largest denomination in the country, is reporting the same numbers. About 2.5 to 3 million people leave churches every year. Most don’t come back.”
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#1. To: Gatlin (#0)
Over 70%? Sounds better than American police's approval numbers, especially among non-whites.
#2. To: GeorgiaConservative (#1)
You sure lost me here: Hmmm….I have to think about that one. Continue on with your stratagem and use the same method you used above to make that astounding comparison....and tell us how do YOU compare these: Fess up….you didn’t even read the article, did you?
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Replies to Comment # 1. Over 70%? Sounds better than American police's approval numbers, especially among non-whites.
You say: “A decline in the Christian share of the population to 70.6 percent sounds better than American police’s approval numbers, especially among non-white.”
End Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
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