Christianity – Page 3 – Family Council

Young Men Now Outnumber Women in Church

Aug 29, 2022Jerry CoxFaithChristianity, Church, Church Statistics, Faith, Religion

In September of 1989, Rev. Billy Graham preached to tens of thousands of people gathered at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock over the course of several nights.

In one of his sermons — which you can listen to hear — Rev. Graham shared these words:

Christ did more to liberate women than any other person who ever lived. Women in many cultures today are exploited … It was Jesus Christ who treated women with honor and courtesy in a nation in which they were despised.

Theologians have noted over the centuries that the gospels list several different women as some Christ’s prominent followers during his earthly ministry and in the New Testament Church.

For many years church in attendance in America has been higher among women than among men. Today, however, young women seem to be leaving the church.

Christianity Today reports that women born after 1990 — women in their 20s and early 30s today — are no more likely to attend church than men their age, and women born after 2000 are actually less likely to attend church than men.

Among Americans age 18-25, 49% of women identify as non-religious, compared to just 46% of men.

John Stonestreet at the Colson Center recently addressed this trend, writing,

Battered by church controversies and scandals, and shaped by cultural messages, women are increasingly heading for the exit. In doing so, they are rejecting a faith that, in the words of my colleague Glenn Sunshine, has done “more to improve the status of women than any other historical force.” The Church is meant to enable and empower men and women to live as image bearers, according to God’s design. 

In this day and age, there are even many believers who think they can follow Christ without the church.

But being part of a local group of believers is an important part of discipleship. Christians help each other grow in the faith.

Put simply, men and women both need the church.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Intentionally Empty Churches?

Jan 31, 2022John StonestreetChristianityChristianity, Church, COVID-19

*John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview*

Many churches have shut their doors in the face of Covid, but one large church in Denver hasn’t just shut their doors; they’ve sold them. According to Christianity Today, “The Potter’s House Denver will sell its property in Arapahoe County and continue to worship exclusively online.”

We often hear that because the Church isn’t a building, it doesn’t matter whether it meets in one. But trading in-person worship for an online experience misses what the Church actually is. It isn’t just a place for individual contemplation on “spiritual things.” That’s not the Christianity of the Bible but the pietism of Gnosticism. Embodied worship is an essential part of a Christian worldview.

If our faith is the sort of thing we can live out alone, never needing the presence of others, then are we truly still the Church? The Church is the ecclesia, the called ones, the gathered ones, the community of the saints of God. If we aren’t a “we,” we are not the Church.

Afghan Fathers Pass Persecuted Faith to Children

Aug 23, 2021John StonestreetChristian Persecution, Current EventsChristian Persecution, Christianity, Current Events

*John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center*

As a father, I often think about what a Christian heritage will mean for my children. I want it to be the source of their peace and strength in times of trouble. But what if I knew it would be the source of their persecution as well?

On the Breakpoint Podcast this week, I spoke with Mindy Belz about the new dangers for Christians in Afghanistan. A couple years ago, a number of Christian leaders did something incredibly brave: they changed the official religious affiliation noted on their national identification cards. Because they knew that religious identity is passed down from fathers to children, their hope was that their descendents could be born with a Christian heritage for generations to come.

It was a courageous move, even then. But now, as government records fall under Taliban control, these believers have been uniquely exposed to the threat of violence. Belz told me that she knows of Christians who have received letters from the Taliban stating “We know where you are, and we know what you’re doing.”

This cost of discipleship is not a light one, but the church in Afghanistan is demonstrating exactly what bearing the name of Christ is worth to them. May God strengthen his people in Afghanistan, and give us the same courageous heart.