The Trouble with Watching Religious Trends
“The Barna data tracks young adults who already attend church and measures whether they’re coming more often. The Gallup data measures the broader population and whether religion matters to their daily lives. Both can be technically accurate while pointing in opposite directions. And yet American Christians are likely to remember only the one that matched their mood.” - TGC
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I don’t agree with the conclusion of this article. If being faithful to God is the only thing that matters, than a whole lot of what we do (including study, trying to start new outreaches, etc.) The article is quite correct, however, in stating that looking at poll results is tricky because results do depend upon who is being polled and how the questions are asked or choices they are given (or the honesty of those polled). There is a big difference between trends among pre-exiting church goers and trends in society, as this article pointed out. But these stats do matter, especially for those trying to anticipate future needs in the church. It is always advantageous to be in touch with what is happening in the broader Christian world and society.
"The Midrash Detective"
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