TOPIC: 50 Years of Religious Trends in America
Christianity Today is celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS to CT! Their anniversary edition offers a comparison of statistics from the 1950s to more recent statistics -- revealing some trends regarding religion in America:

• Americans who say that religion is very important in their lives.
1952 75%
2005 59%

• Those who say they are members of a church.
1952 73%
2005 64%

• Those who say they attended church or synagogue in the last seven days.
1956 46%
2005 43%

• Those who say religion is increasing its influence on American life.
1957 69%
2005 47%

• Those who believe in God or a universal spirit.
Mid-1950s 9 in 10
Latest 9 in 10

• Those who pray to God or a higher power.
Mid-1950s 9 in 10
Latest 9 in 10

• Those who say religion can answer all or most of today's problems.
1957 80%
2005 59%

• Those who say the Bible is the Word of God and should be taken literally, word for word.
1963 65%
2006 28%

• American religious preferences	1957	2005
Protestant	66%	50%
Catholic	26	25
Jewish	3	2
Other	1	13
None	3	8

QOTD: For all the anger and fear so often expressed about the intersection of politics and religion, I believe that a vision of public service based upon serving rather than being served is ultimately a vision of hope and not despair. -- Senator John Kerry (Pepperdine University on September 18 about how his faith shapes his political views)