In God We Trust? from December 2007 issue of Men’s Health
How would you describe your religious beliefs?
Very Religious: 21% Somewhat Religious: 26% Spiritual but not religious: 35%
None of the above: 18%
Which belief do you most closely identify with?
Christian (nonspecific): 27% Catholic: 17% Protestant: 16% Atheist: 11%
Agnostic: 10% Buddhist: 10% Jewish: 3% Mormon: 3% Scientologist: 1%
Other: 3%
If you were God for a day, what would be your first order of business?
“Eliminate corruption in all governments”
“Banish to hell everyone who has killed in my name”
“Get everyone to stop relying on men and take responsibility for their own lives”
“Whatever’s on the agenda, I suppose. I’m assuming God has a personal assistant”
“I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility”
Do you believe that morality can come only from faith?
Yes: 29% No: 71%
Have you ever witnessed a miracle?
Yes: 32% No: 44% Unsure: 24%
How often do you attend services
More than once a week: 12% Once a week: 21% Once a month: 10% On religious holidays: 9% Almost never: 28% Never: 20%
If they shortened the service and relaxed the dress code, would you attend more?
Yes: 7% No: 93%
Are you more, or less religious as you age?
More: 35% Less: 25% Neither: 40%
Have you ever terminated a romantic relationship because of religious differences?
Yes: 18% No: 82%
10.When politicians say things like “God Bless America,” does it comfort you or freak you out?
It’s comforting: 56% It’s creepy: 44%
Is it important for your kids to be religious?
“Yes. We all need a moral foundation.”
“No. It’s more important that they are happy and fulfilled.”
“I want them to have at least one constant: God”
“I’m responsible for their life, not their afterlife”
What’s your reaction when retailers say, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”?
It irks me: 31% I’m glad: 13% It’s a silly debate: 56%
How much influence should religion have in the United States?
More than there is now: 19% Less than now: 50% It’s fine as it is: 31%
Can religion help with today’s problems?
It’s still useful: 46% It’s out of touch: 31% It’s part of the problems: 23%
In the next century, will religion grow, stay the same, or diminish?
“Decency and morality will exist for their own sake”
“It’ll grow freakishly stronger”
“It will diminish as people become more educated”
When you die, where will you go?
Heaven: 50% Hell: 1% Purgatory: 3% Back to earth in another form: 8%
Somewhere else: 11% Nowhere: 27%
When you break it down, it's clear that for most men, churchianity doesn't "work", if by work you mean add anything meaningful to their lives. And efforts to make church more man-friendly by cutting sermon length and relaxing dress codes aren't the answer. Over half think that religion either doesn't help today or is part of the reason things aren't as they should be.
When I looked the survey over, I was sitting in the room here with my wife Bunny. I was a 19 year old guy going nowhere when I was invited to Bethesda Baptist Church in Macon GA to play church basketball. At the time I was playing in three separate leagues. But after seeing Bunny, I realized she was in a league of her own and came as often as I could to be near her. As a result, I was saved and committed my life to Christ.
Just to be clear - I was dead in my sins. I wasn't looking for God. I came to play ball and stayed to play ball and to hang as close as possible to Bunny until my charm and rugged good looks wore her down. :)
So I read the survey and thought, what has happened?
It seems that within the last 30 years we've gone from being an option for guys who were looking to find a place to do guy stuff and find a nice girl to a place that isn't even on the radar. We've gone from acceptance through toleration and are now in aggravation/wish you would go away land.
Networking used to be one of the reasons people would come to church. Some of them even got saved. But now with the culture shift, those people are more likely to bunch up on the golf course, the PTA, or at soccer practice for the kids than come to church.
And with the church's moral behavior on par or even below par with the culture, finding a "good girl" at church might not be a given to say the least. We are in a heap of trouble with men. No need for us, nor reason to lean our way, and in fact some annoyance thrown our way.
It's going to take everything we can muster to get back on the options list with men.
First thing is we have to admit we have a problem. Duh.
Second thing - pray that God would guide everything we do.
Third thing - We must begin to get into the places where men hang out and build relationships with people. It's not what we do well, but it's always been the way the gospel has spread.
My friend Bill Martin put it this way:
It can't be about the institution anymore. It has to be about personal relationships. (That doesn't sell well in the Bible belt, but that doesn't make it any less true.)
I wonder if we can do it.
Oh I know God can do it, but can a generation who equated church growth with bigger and better - can we get small? Can we go from empire builders to insurgents? Can we stop yelling long enough to have a cup of coffee and talk?
Can we learn to count conversations and ask God to let us be involved in His work to change the hearts of men?
Glorify your name Lord.
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