What is the fastest growing religious group in America? It might surprise you. It is not the explosion of the polished mega church, though they are here to stay. It is not Islam, though there are more Muslims in America than there are Presbyterians. There fastest growing category is what researchers simple call 'None'.
Thom Rainer, President of Lifeway, recently wrote about the expanding segment of our country that describe themselves as 'None'. When asked by researches if they are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim, one in five said they are 'None'. While there are Nones who have rejected theism for intellectual reasons, many more have rejected the structures of traditional religion.
Nones, as a group, are big and only getting bigger. If you also lump into this category the large and growing number of people who will give a nod to God on a survey or show up in their grandmothers church on an occasional Easter, the Nones + the apathetic offer a blistering critique of American faith.
For those who are looking for solid research on the Nones I would point you to "UnChristian" by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman. Speaking as born and bred Evangelical Christians, they confront the hard data regarding the perception of the church through the eyes of those not involved. Their answers are not surprising but still painful. The Nones perceive that the church is too political, too homophobic, and anti-women. But I also have a few thoughts that press to the core of what the church is doing to multiply the
Thom Rainer, President of Lifeway, recently wrote about the expanding segment of our country that describe themselves as 'None'. When asked by researches if they are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim, one in five said they are 'None'. While there are Nones who have rejected theism for intellectual reasons, many more have rejected the structures of traditional religion.
Nones, as a group, are big and only getting bigger. If you also lump into this category the large and growing number of people who will give a nod to God on a survey or show up in their grandmothers church on an occasional Easter, the Nones + the apathetic offer a blistering critique of American faith.
For those who are looking for solid research on the Nones I would point you to "UnChristian" by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman. Speaking as born and bred Evangelical Christians, they confront the hard data regarding the perception of the church through the eyes of those not involved. Their answers are not surprising but still painful. The Nones perceive that the church is too political, too homophobic, and anti-women. But I also have a few thoughts that press to the core of what the church is doing to multiply the