A couple days ago, I mentioned that 46% of Americans felt that Facebook is a fad. I love statistics, even if I think 37% of them are made up. But I thought that you might enjoy some other recent statistics.  See if you line up with the American public: 58% of Americans think the economy will be fine by this time next year?  (I doubt it… although I think it may be more stable after the election… it usually is). 22% of Americans are positive the end of the world will occur in their lifetime.  (My Baptist upbringing tells me that I should expect Jesus’ return at any moment… and...

According to a new study conducted by sociologists Hui-Tzu Grace Chou and Nicholas Edge at Utah Valley University, research showed a correlation between a Facebook user’s disposition about their life and the amount of time spent on the social network. Approximately 425 students were asked to identify how much they agreed or disagreed with statements like “Life is fair” and “Many of my friends have a better life than me.” In addition, the students were asked about how much time they spent on Facebook, their number of Facebook friends as well as how many of those friends they had actually...

… to 923,700. Marriages were up 4%. Interesting supplemental information though, from this article from Christian Today: Despite the drop in attendance at Church services, there is positive news in the growth of fresh expressions of church. The figures show that there are at least 1,000 fresh expressions and new forms of church linked to the Church of England. There are an estimated 1,000 fresh expressions within the Methodist Church. It is the first time that fresh expressions have been included in the Church of England’s annual report on attendance. Bishop Graham Cray, Archbishops’...

My friend Geoff Surratt is continuing his 5 Scary Trends series… Scary trend #3 is “Worship Worship”.  Geoff writes: I love corporate worship. One of my favorite aspects of working in multisite churches has been visiting multiple worship experiences every weekend. I have participated in as many as six different services in a single weekend, and I love seeing people connect with God through the leadership of a gifted team of singers, musicians and technicians. The scary trend, however, is the growing worship of the art of worship. The worship leader/pastor/director/producer has become...

Barna has a new survey out.  Most Americans have first-hand experiences in churches or parishes. What happens, if anything, in the hearts and minds of those who attend? Here are some of the findings: (66%) feel they have had “a real and personal connection” with God while attending church. (26%) who had been to a church before said that their life had been changed or affected “greatly” by attending church. Nearly half said their life had not changed at all as a result of churchgoing (46%). (61%) said they could not remember a significant or important new insight or understanding related to...