The Pew Research Center recently published an article exploring the increasing gap in economic well-being between the young (those households headed by someone under age 35) and the old (those households headed by someone over age 65) during the last twenty-five years. The data shows the following shifts: Median net worth grew by 42% for the older cohort while falling by 68% for the younger cohort Median adjusted household income grew by 109% for the older cohort while rising by only Read More …
A Political Explanation for Increased Religious Non-Affiliation (#0544)
Sociologist Bradley Wright teaches at the University of Connecticut. His work has been mentioned on my blog on several occasions, including reviews of his two most recent books: Upside: Surprising Good News About the State of Our World (2011 - my review here) and Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites . . . and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media (2010 - my review here). Wright recently wrote about the Read More …
Smartphone Growth (#0543)
According to Nielsen research, a significant percentage of mobile phone subscribers have moved to smartphones during the last year. In fact, the percentage penetration has increased in every age group. So What? 25-34 year olds have the highest smart phone adoption rate of any age group. Over the period analyzed (3rd quarter 2010 through 3rd quarter 2011) their adoption rate rose by 50% from 41% to 62%. 18-24 year olds and 35-44 year olds were close behind those aged Read More …
Communication Tools &The Future of the Church (#0542)
Bobby Gruenewald serves as innovation leader for LifeChurch.tv, which is a congregation of nearly 30,000 who meet at 14 campuses throughout the United States. In this role he "oversees the Digerati, Media Design, and Communications teams as well as the LifeChurch.tv Open, Network and United operations." His innovative leadership, especially with the YouVersion Bible (more on that here), earned him a spot on the FastCompany's list of the top 100 creative people in Read More …
The World’s Most Powerful People (#0541)
Forbes recently released its latest list of the world's most powerful people. Americans and politicians both fared well this year, and an American politician received the highest overall ranking. Rank Name/Title Organization Age 1 Barack Obama President United States of America 50 2 Vladimir Putin Prime Minister Russia 59 3 Hu Jintao President People’s Republic of China 68 4 Angela Read More …
Welcoming Doubts & Questions in Youth Ministry (#0540)
"How to Welcome Doubts and Questions" is perhaps at once the most interesting and most relevant title for a youth ministry blog post that I have encountered in quite some time. The article, written by Youth Specialties staff, list six ways that youth ministry leaders can create an environment that welcomes doubts and questions. This "how to" list fails to mention what I have found to be the most helpful piece of advice on the topic: there are many aspects of the Christian faith for Read More …
There is an App for That (#0539)
The Pew Research Center recently released the results of a survey conducted by their Center’s Internet & American Life Project, which was a national survey of the state of apps culture conducted from July 25-August 26. Among the findings: Half (50%) of all US adult cell phone users now have apps on their phones (up from 42% in April) Three-quarters (75%) of all US adult tablet owners now have apps on their tablets So What? What computing devices American adults use is also Read More …
Review of Will There Be Faith? (#0538)
Meet the Author Thomas Groome is chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry as well as professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, where he has taught since 1976. Groome has written numerous books on religious education, including the now classic Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision (1980), which introduced his shared Christian praxis approach. His latest book is Will There Be Faith? A New Vision Read More …
Findings from 2011 Baylor Religion Survey (#0537)
Baylor University recently released the findings of its latest Baylor Religion Survey, which is characterized as "one of the most extensive surveys ever conducted on the religious practices, attitudes, beliefs and values of the American public." The 2011 survey is a follow-up to those released in 2006 and 2008 by Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. (For more on the results of earlier surveys consider reading Rodney Stark's What Americans Really Believe. My review is Read More …
Trust/Mistrust in God & Worry (#0536)
A recent article in the Scientific American, co-authored by Sarah Estes Graham and Jesse Graham, considers a scholarly article in the July 2011 edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychology written by a group that includes professors from Harvard Medical School. The research found: Studying hundreds of devoutly religious Jews and Christians, the researchers explored what religious cognitions can lead to more or less worry. Specifically, they found that mistrust in God . . . was Read More …