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Christianity Gets a Faith Lift... from Harvard
The Family Research Council ^ | January 23, 2018 | Tony Perkins and FRC Senior Writers

Posted on 01/24/2018 1:52:41 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Liberals have stuck to a pretty consistent strategy in dealing with American Christianity: If you repeat something often enough, people will start to believe it. With the media's help, they set out to convince the country that evangelicals were dying on the political vine. But, as so often happens, they were proven wrong on the biggest of stages when, in 2016, the church's "withering" influence proved to be anything but.

Since then, teams of researchers have been trying to get a read on the state of Christianity in America -- and what they've found might surprise you. After years of hearing the same dire predictions, even churchgoers probably assumed the country's faith had dwindled. Like us, you've seen the headlines about declining church attendance or the millennials' rejection of faith and just assumed the stories were true.

Not so fast, says Harvard University. Their latest study shows that U.S. Christianity isn't only alive, but growing. It's a surprising thing to swallow with the media's drumbeat of liberal bias, but powerful new statistics point to a resurgence of the faith culture the Left so easily dismisses. In a lengthy commentary by Glenn Stanton in the Federalist, he pours over the data and explains, "Not only did their examination find no support for this secularization in terms of actual practice and belief, the researchers proclaim that religion continues to enjoy 'persistent and exceptional intensity' in America. These researchers hold our nation 'remains an exceptional outlier and potential counter example to the secularization thesis.'"

Believe it or not, the authors of Harvard's report "found that the percentage of church-attending Americans relative to overall population is more than four times greater today than it was in 1776." In fact, Stanton points out, "The number of attendees has continued to rise each and every decade over our nation's history right up until the present day." Despite the hemorrhaging of mainline congregations, most analysts say the brunt of the losses are liberal churches. "When the so-called 'progressive' churches question the historicity of Jesus, deny the reality of sin, support abortion, ordain clergy in same-sex relationships and perform their marriages, people desiring real Christianity head elsewhere," Stanton reminds people. "Fact: evangelical churches gain five new congregants exiled from the liberal churches for every one they lose for any reason. They also do a better job of retaining believers from childhood to adulthood than do mainline churches."

In other words, Christianity is shifting -- not dying. The number of people who read their Bible, go to church weekly, pray regularly has been "steel-bar constant" for the last half-century. "Patently persistent," as Harvard calls it. It also happens to be in astounding contrast to other nations. "Attending services more than once a week continues to be twice as high among Americans compared to the next highest-attending industrial country, and three times higher than the average comparable nation." If the people who once practiced a lukewarm Christianity have found other ways to spend their Sunday mornings, it's probably no great loss to the cause of Christ and has zero effect on the culture.

"The United States 'clearly stands out as exceptional,' and this exceptionalism has not been decreasing over time. In fact, these scholars determine that the percentages of Americans who are the most vibrant and serious in their faith is actually increasing a bit, 'which is making the United States even more exceptional over time.'" Of course, part of the reason for this consistency is the number of children Bible-believing churches tend to have. Christian parents are outpacing the offspring of other populations, and that's helped to keep the fabric of faith alive.

Speaking of kids, what about the doom and gloom we keep hearing about millennials leaving the church? Is the next generation as lost as the media makes it out to be? Yes and no. One thing to keep in mind about Pew's research and others', Stanton cautions, is that a lot of these millennials who are "abandoning their faith" didn't have much to begin with. "Pew reports that of young adults who left their faith, only 11 percent said they had a strong faith in childhood while 89 percent said they came from a home that had a very weak faith in belief and practice." Questioning your beliefs, he points out, is also just part of the maturation process.

So the next time you hear that Christianity is "going the way of the Yellow Pages," don't buy it. Liberals only argue that to disparage and diminish you. Don't let them. As much as they'd like to believe otherwise -- and as long as there are Christians living out their faith every day -- faith is alive and well in America!


TOPICS: Current Events; History; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: christianity; faith; harvard; study
Praise God!
1 posted on 01/24/2018 1:52:41 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks; stars & stripes forever; Albion Wilde; SisterK

*PING*


2 posted on 01/24/2018 1:57:17 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There appears to be no citation but I’m guessing the author is referring to:
https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v4-28-686/


3 posted on 01/24/2018 2:02:36 PM PST by posterchild
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Great news. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that Christians have big families, atheists tend to have lots of rescue dogs.

Saw a piece last year that discussed how atheism is dying out because of its own infertility.


4 posted on 01/24/2018 2:07:23 PM PST by Thalean
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

In this country with such a high divorce rate, number of abortions, children born out of wedlock, and more and more people working on Sundays, I see no outward signs of Christianity. A “festivus bush” next to a snowman in front of town hall isn’t a Christian symbol.


5 posted on 01/24/2018 2:09:34 PM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
In a lengthy commentary by Glenn Stanton in the Federalist, he pours over the data...

What did he pour over the data?

6 posted on 01/24/2018 2:13:09 PM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: kearnyirish2

Thanks, Captain Bringdown.


7 posted on 01/24/2018 2:14:18 PM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: WayneS

I’m sorry; let’s pretend Christianity is doing fine. I guess the myth is preferable to the obvious truth.


8 posted on 01/24/2018 2:20:50 PM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Thalean; Tolerance Sucks Rocks; Albion Wilde; HiTech RedNeck; stars & stripes forever; SisterK
"Harvard University was founded in 1636 with the intention of establishing a school to train Christian ministers. In accordance with that vision, Harvard’s “Rules and Precepts,” adopted in 1646, stated (original spelling and Scriptural references retained):

“2. Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedome, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of him (Prov. 2:3).

3. Every one shall so exercise himselfe in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in Theoreticall observations of Language and Logick, and in practical and spiritual truths, as his Tutor shall require, according to his ability; seeing the entrance of the word giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130).”

shield

The motto of the University adopted in 1692 was “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” which translated from Latin means “Truth for Christ and the Church.” This phrase was embedded on a shield as shown to the right, and can be found on many buildings around campus including the Widener library, Memorial Church, and various dorms in Harvard Yard. Interestingly, the top two books on the shield are face up while the bottom book is face down. This symbolizes the limits of reason, and the need for God’s revelation. With the secularization of the school, the current shield now contains only the word “Veritas” with three open books.

Consistent with “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” and the original purpose of Harvard’s founding, our fellowship is dedicated to discovering and experiencing Truth (Veritas) for the sake of Christ and his church."

http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~gsascf/shield-and-veritas-history/

9 posted on 01/24/2018 2:28:35 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
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To: kearnyirish2

Whatever you say. Something tells me that very few people are Christian enough to suit you. Fortunately for us, it’s not you who gets to make that judgement.


10 posted on 01/24/2018 2:29:20 PM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

a Faith Lift...


Too funny. But is it mocking the speech-impaired
or is it appropriating homosexual stereotypes?


11 posted on 01/24/2018 3:26:33 PM PST by sparklite2 (See more at Sparklite Times)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; boatbums; CynicalBear; daniel1212; dragonblustar; ...

Ping


12 posted on 01/24/2018 3:50:33 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith..)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Praise God!

Amen bro. 😇🇮🇱

13 posted on 01/24/2018 4:37:18 PM PST by Mark17 (Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning GOD....And the rest, as they say, is HIS-story)
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To: kearnyirish2; SaveFerris; PROCON; FredZarguna; mylife; Lil Flower; Corky Ramirez; CopperTop; ...
A “festivus bush” And abortions are down.
14 posted on 01/24/2018 5:07:10 PM PST by Gamecock (The greatest threat to humanity is not "out there" but "in here" in the recesses of the soul. TK)
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To: kearnyirish2; SaveFerris; PROCON; FredZarguna; mylife; Lil Flower; Corky Ramirez; CopperTop; ...
A “festivus bush” And abortions are down.
15 posted on 01/24/2018 5:12:10 PM PST by Gamecock (The greatest threat to humanity is not "out there" but "in here" in the recesses of the soul. TK)
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To: metmom
There are those on FR that think the 'correct' politics can save us.


There are others that know better.

16 posted on 01/24/2018 6:07:21 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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