April 14, 2009

Global Unbelievers

From bloggers announcing evangelical collapses to national magazines declaring "The End of Christian America," much has been made in recent weeks about the spiritual decline of our country. And judging by the surge of church-centric stories last week among secular media outlets, Christianity is suffering a global deterioration as well.

In Canada, a new nationwide survey revealed a nosedive in the number of people who believe in God. According to pollster Ipsos Reid, 71 percent of Canadians currently believe in God, compared to 84 percent in 2000. Interestingly enough, the sharpest decline was among men (63 percent compared to 86 percent nine years ago) and both middle-agers and seniors. Overall, a mere 21 percent of the Canadian population believes in the existence of heaven and hell.

"One wants to say that faith is constant," remarked Ipsos vice president John Wright. "But I think it is transient for the majority of people."

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Punk Rock Jesus

QUOTE: "We've decided that being Christian is punk rock because it's so anti-establishment."—30-year-old Vancouver, Canada, resident Lindsay Sutton, offering one of the reasons she was drawn to get involved with a church. Despite friends questioning her involvement, Sutton says part of the attraction for her was the "countercultural" element of Christianity—something she believes ...

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Pulling Out All the Easter Stops

Churches routinely put on their best during Christmas and Easter seasons in an effort to reach the "unchurched" wandering through their doors on those special occasions. And every year the marketing strategies of congregations vying for attention seem to get more creative. So what churches stood out last week for their Easter innovation?

At Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City, congregants re-enacted the final hours of Jesus' life—via Twitter. Using only 140-character microblogs, church members performing the Passion play tweeted for three hours on Good Friday. In addition, the lower Manhattan church also offered a Web version of the Stations of the Cross that allowed online visitors to meditate using words, pictures and music.

In Crestview, Fla., leadership from Mosaic Church of Crestview stirred up community waters with an edgy "No More Christians" campaign that drew both interest and ire. Using a "reverse" approach to traditional evangelism, the nondenominational church posted billboards and ran commercials promoting a recent series of discussions that include "Why you should be an atheist instead of a Christian" and "Why you should be a Muslim instead of a Christian."

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