Posted on 08/01/2010 12:24:10 PM PDT by geraldmcg
A recent study released by the Barna Group—a leading research company focused on the intersection of faith and culture—has been the spark plug for a surge of editorials around the country because of the study’s eye-opening, statistical revelations regarding Christianity and divorce.
Among the findings, divorce rates among conservative Christians are not only counter to Christian ideals, they are significantly higher than that of other faith groups, including atheists and agnostics.
George Barna, the director of the study observed, “There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce. (Instead), it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage. Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility.”
Offering a unique insight into the depths of modern-day Christian marriages is minister and author, Rodney Winters, who’s new book, Go Into the House, much like the Barna study, has Christians talking.
Winters explores a wide range of marital mysteries among Christians, particularly when held up against the chasm between the sexes.
Why do Christian men choose to commit adultery? Why don’t men share their fears and emotions with women? Why do women want and need to hear the man’s perspective on “when a wife cheats”?
Further, Winters writes about the other side of Christian marriage, when a spouse is facing the aftermath of divorce. Barna pointed out in his company’s report that, “(our) research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages.”
That’s probably because more Christians get married in the first place.
“Lying with statistics”
Unfortunately, this is not a surprise at all.
“That’s probably because more Christians get married in the first place.”
The total number of Christians that get married would not effect the rate of divorce.
Maybe they are just more likely to be honest and not like living a lie?
Hmmm. So how many agnostics and atheists actually marry compared to hopeful “christians”? How was the defintion of “christian” developed? Maybe the rub lies there somewhere?
I know many people who clain to be so and such, but when the chips are down, they ain’t.
Even so, a bad testimony.
My wife and I, born again believers in the Lord Jesus, celebrated our 28th anniversary yesterday. We married at 18 and 21; “Till death do we part” means just that.
Best;
The raw numbers wouldn't, but if Christians feel more of a duty to marry in the first place, their rate of marriage will be higher than those who are content to "live in sin."
Well Muslim women find it almost impossible to get a divorce so we know what their excuse is. As to Atheists,
they are probably too cheap or hopelessly disfunctional
to get a divorce? ;-)
Barna doesn’t release how they conduct their studies — how they select the sample, etc. Don’t trust Barna — their findings cannot be verified.
The Bible tells us that in the last days there will be a falling away from the faith, and “the love of many will wax cold”. Many Christians have become secularized and are followers of the world’s ways instead of following God’s Word. When there’s trouble in a marriage, they just give up and move on-—no need to try to salvage or get counseling or love each other enough to work things out.
I think that the government system in the United States will be Islam-ish if not totally Islamic, because those who oppose the new world leader and do not take his mark upon them or worship his image will have their heads cut off-—which is an Islamic judgement.
Interesting. Next he should look into why Muslims stone their women to death.
My guess is that people that eat Arugula 3 or more times per year have better health, and live longer than people that do not eat it.
Barna is in the business of selling books and DVDs that are solutions to the problems that their statistics outline.
I take their statistics with some disbelief as they do not mirror other publicly available statistics.
One of their more famous studies used the methodology of a very narrow definition of Bible believing Christian and came up with a lot of very negative results as well as a series of DVDs to cure the problem.
My wife who has studied Religion at the PHd level feels that Barna is doing a disservice to Christianity. I have to agree. I might also add that if they are not willing to expose their methodolgy and statistics to public scrutiny they are suspect.
I pay little attention to Barna now.
You are more right that given credit for.
I looked into this mysterious “Barna Group” and they’re deep in bed with the idea of conservative Christianity dying.
Listening to them or any study they put out is listening to the propaganda of the enemy.
But yet the Christian faith in other parts of the world is growing, and in a special way in the global south.
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