ITEMS OF INTEREST June 27, 2005 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from Marvin Stockwell, Gina Holland, Lisa O'Neill Hill

"More than nine out of ten American adults engage in some type of faith-related practice during a typical week. This is one of the numerous findings revealed in a new report by researcher and author George Barna . . . . The report provides information concerning 45 different faith-related beliefs, behaviors, and perspectives. . . . With the release of the report, entitled The State of the Church: 2005, Barna revealed several of the outcomes described in greater detail in the research.

"One outcome described is the small but noteworthy increase in Bible reading. Currently, 45 percent of adults read the Bible during a typical week, not including when they are at church. . . . The current statistic is still below the levels achieved in [the] 1980s and early 1990s, but the report shows that the trend is upward. . . .

"The report on faith in America is Barna's first published overview of the state of the nation's faith since 2002 . . . . In the final section of the report Barna provides a series of reflections on the meaning of the information. . . .

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