That's still a lot of Christians

and god bless god. but he sure must have hated the midwest.

 

One of the interesting numbers was the increase in non-denominational churches. Used to be if you were a Methodist you'd go to that church, Catholic, Presbyterian etc. Now even fewer are following a specific theology or tradition and the messenger (pastor) is a bigger draw than the message (specific religion).

Oregon has some areas with big church attendance, and I'm not sure what the correlation is between a liberal leaning state and low church attendence is except people feel less bound by tradition and are less likely to be swayed by peer pressure.

I can say that it's easier to feel spiritual outside on a trail, river or beach out this way than in many of the churches I've been in. When I was a kid I remember actually learning stuff at church and really coming out of it thinking, now I critique the homiles trying to figure out how the priest could have done a better job getting his point across or actually engaging the congregation.

 

Yeah, a lot has to do with style. Some are more traditional, some less so.

 

It actually may not be that much different than the decline in newspaper circulation. Churches and papers tend to have similar demographics (in other words, older...)

The church numbers do not surprise me at all. Especially as the generation born between 1950-1960 is now between the age of 50-60 and having finished their days of raising children, THEIR children (born 1975-1985) may have been less likely to attend church each week growing up and do not see that as a high priority in their own lives. It's a cycle that will reverberate through American society from here on out.

However, there are two major clumps of churches -- one shrinking fast and one treading water or growing a little bit.

The one shrinking fast is the traditional church, with an identity steeped in its particular denomination. You could walk in there in 2009 and it would be the same service from 1983. These churches are easy to spot from outside as Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chrysler New Yorkers tends to fill their parking lots. Many will not be around in 20 years as their congregations die off.

The others are the newer, less traditional churches. Some are "megachurches". Some are denomonational, some are not. These places have had to 'shift' with the times to be in a better position for 2009. They tend to embrace technology and Facebook/Twitter their communications. Often, you'll find them with an 8 AM service for the 'older folks' and then the later services tend to draw in the minivan crowds with a higher energy service. These places have recognized that they are the future of the "industry" (if you will ).

It's superficial but when my wife and I moved to our current city, we would look at a church's website and - if it passed muster - we'd drive by before the late service. If the Buicks/Oldsmobile to minivan ratio was "too high", off to the next one.

Overall, being a Christian isn't about how often one goes to church but the strength of their faith, whether it truly guides them. (It guides me every day although there are many, many, MANY days I fall short of what I want to be and how I want to live in that faith). Yet I also do not doubt that there are more Christians, per capita, in Arkansas than in Vermont. It can be an atmosphere, a sort of "me, too" way of thinking. If your neighbors in Montpelier would rather read the NYTimes and go to a coffeehouse in town on Sunday morning, that's what you are more likely to do. If your neighbors in suburban Nashville go to a 8,500 member church on Sunday morning, you're probably more likely to do that.

Megachurches tend to get a bad rap and - for every Ted Haggard - there are outstanding people who do lead congregations on their faith walk. What I am encouraged by is the willingness of many successful and growing churches to try and "reach outside their comfort level" in their communities. A special priority is placed, with many churches, on international service for missions, awareness of worldwide hunger, AIDS vaccines in Africa, care for orphans. These were elements that were largely ignored, for centuries, by the 'traditional' churches and I'm encouraged to see a sense of service also being put into place.

 

As for the two original questions... in my "world", are Christians still the majority?

Outside of work, I'd say 'yes' to that. Although, we have plenty of friends who are not only not Christians, but downright hostile to the faith. Yet they are still our friends -- we just avoid politics and faith topics.

As for work, I've usually been one of the only Christians in every newsroom I've worked in (going on 6 now). I'm also usually the one person who does not swear incessantly and goes to services outside of Christmas and Easter.

The only time I find it unusual is when there is an assumption that "everybody is for Obama", "what kind of idiot would vote for a Republican" or "how can anyone be pro-life?" in my newsroom.

I usually just keep quiet (hard for me!) and plug away. It's the business I willingly got into because I love it.

 

True dat. And it works the other way around, too. If you are the type to read the NYT and go to a coffeehouse on Sunday morning, you're probably going to want to live in a place where you're not looked down upon for not going to church (or for not going to the right church).

I know I had a problem with that when I lived in the South. It can be so pervasive, and as an agnostic who chooses not to be a part of any traditional religion, I know I feel much more comfortable living where I do because that element is not present.

We tend to live where we feel most at home.

 

And, yes, an excellent point, buck.

I've lived in far north Minnesota where it's more "Scandinavian" (in other words, very few people actually go to church every week) and have also lived in Arkansas, where the church you attend can also define you and let anyone who asks be able to form a fairly accurate profile or stereotype of your beliefs, economic situation, etc.

Look at TV station websites in the South. So many of the anchor bios also spell out where they attend church. Personally, I think that has no place in a bio because, for example, if you see that someone attends a Southern Baptist or Bible-based church, you can draw logical conclusions about political biases, etc. Heck, I'm a raving pro-life conservative but I'd never put that info out there for people to see.

For whatever reason, I tend to thrive in my faith when I'm NOT surrounded by an environment where it is expected. Still not sure why that is. It's why I went to an extremely liberal public university but discovered my faith there -- even as many mocked it.

It's why I'm proud to be a Christian in tee-vee journalism...

Maybe I just like being the oddball.

 

I have never been anywhere that Christians did not make up a large majority of "my world," and that is after spending at least three years in four different major cities with extended visits to two others. My current job is the first one where I wasn't the only Jewish person. I rarely even notice it.

I can't imagine the 75% in the poll are deeply-religious Christians. I know very few people of any faith who I would consider to be deeply religious. I became more aware of that a few months ago when my best friend got married. He is a devout Catholic, as are most of his friends and family members. Another of his closest friends is a priest who performed the ceremony. My buddy lives about 12 hours away, so I had not met most of the people who were at the wedding. Unless I am with family, I am always a religious minority, but it struck me that I had very rarely spent time with so many people who make the church a very large part of their lives.

I had a great time, but there were definitely a few moments that I felt a bit out of place (pun unavoidable). There were little things like waiting for the others to say grace at dinner and then there was the wedding itself, which was a full Catholic mass. It was a little strange to be the best man at a wedding when even the little kids had a better idea of what was going on than I did.

The entire experience made me realize how few people I knew that actually make their faith a big part of their day-to-day lives.

 

Nope. There's about 200 million or so Muslims wedged into this country, and most of the Christians are Chinese.

It's a departure from my Midwestern upbringing, to say the least.

 

Congratulations.

 

Great post.