In a time not that long ago, I would have been seated in a church pew or standing behind a pulpit delivering a sermon. This morning, I’m not at church and it does feel strange, although there are reasons. My wife,…
Losing my religion
Do we really wonder why so many people are leaving organized religion? A new Gallup poll has found that for the first time, the proportion of Americans who say they are members of a church, synagogue or mosque has dropped…
America 2021: Got church and steeple but where are the people?
Growing up in Texas during the Southern Baptist Iron Age, I learned this bit of gospel doggerel somewhere between Sunday School, Vacation Bible School or Romper Room (Google it) and the hand-signals that accompanied it: Here is the church, Here…
Join Ryan Burge and Mark Wingfield for a free webinar on the ‘nones’
Ryan Burge — political scientist, pastor, statistician and author of a new book on the “nones” in American religious life — will be the guest on BNG’s next free webinar, scheduled for Monday, April 26, at 7 p.m. Eastern time…
Ryan Burge sifts the data to paint an evolving portrait of the ‘nones’
There was a time, not all that long ago, when no minister, denominational leader or seminary administrator ever heard of — or worried about — a “none.” That’s partly because there wasn’t yet a name for religiously unaffiliated Americans, partly…
Americans slowly returning to in-person church but many still cautious about Easter
Americans are cautiously returning to in-person religious services as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 deaths decline, according to a survey conducted this month. But the Pew Research Center study also found that attendance at weekly services remains lower than pre-pandemic…
What does it mean to be a ‘good Christian’?
As a child, I learned that Christianity meant Jesus, that he was God, and that obedience was the Christian’s main duty. It made sense then, and it continues to make sense today. If we are passionate about something, that will…
Most churchgoers say they’ll return to in-person worship after COVID
The coronavirus outbreak has done little to weaken the devotion of more than 90% of American churchgoers who say they will return to in-person services in the wake of the pandemic, new research shows. In addition to anticipated church involvement,…
New study finds affirmation of Black church experience even as attendance declines
A growing number of African Americans say that understanding the Black experience requires an appreciation of the role of the church in Black lives, new research shows. But the same study also uncovered a drop in interest among Blacks in…