Travis Scholl, managing editor of theological publications at Concordia Seminary - St. Louis, recently reflected on what some view as signs that we are at or nearing the end of an era. More specifically, he mentioned two recent news stories: (1) Alban Institute's decision to shut its doors and (2) the Unitarian Universalist Association's decision to sell its historic headquarters atop Beacon Hill in Boston. Scholl places these changes in their appropriate historical Read More …
Trends
Religious Diversity in the US (#1382)
While I often hear people state as fact the idea that the United States is a land of considerable religious diversity, it is important to note that such claims are simply untrue. According to a new Pew Research Center study, the United States is nowhere near making the list as one of the world's most diverse countries or territories (we ranked #68). So What? Just how diverse are we? The research shows that only 1 out of every 20 people living in America is an adherent to a Read More …
Is Christianity Bad for Entrepreneurship? (#1380)
A new study by economists Travis Wiseman (Mississippi State University) and Andrew Young (West Virginia University), found that the "measure of total Christian adherents is robustly and positively correlated with states’ unproductive entrepreneurship scores.” Put more simply: the more Christians in a given state the more likely that state is less successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Additionally, the study found that atheism and agnosticism positively Read More …
$90M Church Building Campaign (#1376)
Last year I shared the $130 million dollar modernization plans for First Baptist Church of Dallas, which at the time were believed to be the largest church building campaign ever undertaken. For that sum the church planned a total re-creation, rather than a renovation of the then existing campus including a sanctuary seating 3,000, a 4-story family center, a parking garage and sky bridge, and community space for use by the whole city. Last month, The United Methodist Church of the Read More …
New Educational Inequality (#1375)
The ongoing rapid rise in the cost of a college education has been troubling for some time. The increasing costs are troubling for graduates and the economy. For current college students a new reality is making an already challenging situation more difficult for those from families with the lowest household incomes. More specifically, the Hechinger Report considered the net price change students experienced from the 2008-09 school year to the 2011-12 year. Read More …
Living in Happy Land (#1373)
I often tell people I live in paradise. It appears that many experts agree with my assessment. The latest statistic to support my claim about Naples (and Marco Island), FL comes from a Gallup study on the wellbeing of American communities. It ranks Naples-Marco Island as 7th highest level of wellbeing among the nearly 200 metro areas considered. A few years ago I shared Naples rank as the #2 happiest seaside town. Earlier this year, Marco Island was named the #1 island Read More …
Young Adults = Non-Institutionally Oriented (#1368)
The latest Pew Research Center report indicates that Millennials (those now ranging in age from 18 to 33), are unmoored from institutions. This reality is seen most clearly in statistics relating to political preference (50% are independents), religious connection (29% are unaffiliated), and marriage (26% are married). Both percentages have risen significantly in recent years. So What? The trend toward less and less institutional affiliation by America's youngest adults is either Read More …
Moving to Mobile (#1367)
I still remember a time when nearly everyone I knew relied on a desktop at work (or at school) as well as at home. Not only did everyone have a desktop, those machines were the primary way people did any and all computing -- including online endeavors. Within a few years stories of that world will amaze younger crowds as much as stories of cell phones in huge carry bags amaze today's smart phone users. Recent statistics indicate the move to mobile is as or more dramatic than most Read More …
Happy Bday Internet (#1362)
I am here to offer a belated birthday wish to our dear friend the internet on the occasion of its 25th birthday, which was celebrated earlier this month. While computing was a part of my early education experiences, going online came later. My initial online endeavors were an exercise in curiosity and an attempt to be a part of the leading edge. Somehow in just a few decades I traveled from a world in which the internet was interesting but had no real purpose to a reality in which Read More …
Divorce & Cohabitation (#1361)
New research released by the Council on Contemporary Families suggests that most people have misunderstood the role cohabitation plays in the divorce rate because they have been asking the wrong questions of the data. Rather than comparing those who cohabit before marriage to those who do not, researchers should be considering whether or not cohabitation is actually a significant factor in the longevity of a marital relationship. Initial findings suggest that "the age Read More …