American Culture

“In 1979, sociologist Christopher Lasch wrote The Culture of Narcissism, arguing that as the bonds of religious identity and family erode, Americans were increasingly looking inward for security and meaning. In such a culture, feelings and subjective experiences aren’t just considered the most important thing in the world: They’re considered the most accurate view of the world.” - Breakpoint

5 Social Media Stats Pastors Should Know

“About seven-in-ten Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future (72%), paying for college (71%) and buying a home (70%)” - Pew

“Our cultural moment sees the acquisition of fame as the greatest good, we measure our value by followers, fans, and likes. If you ask most kids what they want to be when they get older they usually say a YouTuber. That is not what kids said when I was young.” - C.Leaders

“Gen Z isn’t as cohesive as previous generations: the cultural references and growing-up experiences of a 25-year-old aren’t the same for a 19-year-old, and are different again for a 14-year-old.” - TGC

“Below, we’ll share data from The Resilient Pastor … to explore current perspectives on the credibility of America’s pastors as well as insights from Packiam on pastoral trustworthiness and reliability.” - Barna

“…more than 85% of Americans believe that it is ‘somewhat important’ or ‘absolutely essential’ that an American have the right to choose any religion that they wish… But nearly 37% of people say that practices that inconvenience others are ‘definitely not’ or ‘not a very important part’ of religious freedom.” - RNS

“Increasingly, however, skepticism has been replaced by cynicism and is expressed in an immediate distrust anytime anyone tells us anything to think or do. This is not healthy or sustainable, nor is it a biblical way of thinking about authority.” - Breakpoint

“Public satisfaction with national conditions remains low. Just 21% say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country, while 78% are dissatisfied.” - Pew

“I can’t say exactly when, most Americans simply lost any sense of being sinful, of needing forgiveness. Most don’t think they are bad…. they will admit to having faults, but basically they think they are ‘good people’ and so are most others.” - Roger Olson