Habla Ingles?

Nearly 47 million U.S. residents age five or older are not native English speakersthats nearly one out of five residents. The most commonly spoken languages other than English are Spanish and Chinese dialects.

Native tongues

28.1 million Spanish

2 million Chinese

1.6 million French

1.4 million German

1.2 million Tagalog, official language of the Philippines

Source: USA Today, October 24, 2003

Destination: heaven or hell?

illustration by mark herron

When asked where they would spend eternity, 64 percent of U.S. adults believe they will go to heaven. Five percent believe they will come back to life in another form and five percent contend they will simply cease to exist. Even though 81 percent of adults believe in some sort of afterlife, 24 percent have no idea what will happen after they die. Only half of one percent expect to go to hell after their death.

81% U.S. adults who believe in an afterlife of some sort

76% Adults who believe heaven exists

71% Adults who believe there is such a thing as hell

Source: The Barna Update, October 21, 2003

TV viewers dont speak out

PHOTO BY JOHN SWAIN

While television networks continue to push the envelope on what is acceptable for television, TV Guide asked viewers their thoughts. When asked if they had noticed an increase in offensive material on television lately, 57 percent of respondents said yes and 71 percent of those polled said they had actually switched channels because they had found a shows material too offensive. However, only 8 percent said they had ever called a network to complain about offensive material.

Randall Murphree, a spokesman for the TV watchdog group American Family Association, told TV Guide that he is puzzled by the lack of opposition to network TVs offensive material. We grow desensitized to things in our culture gradually, and we reach a point where we think, Im overwhelmed, and I get the feeling my voice wont be heard no matter how loud I scream.

Source: TV Guide, August 2, 2003

Twentysomethings put church on the backburner PHOTO BY JOHN SWAIN Americans in their 20s are significantly less likely than any other age group to attend church services, donate, be committed to Christianity, read the Bible or serve as volunteers in churches, says a survey by the Barna Research Group. Only 31 percent of twentysomethings attend church in a typical week. Many of those absent from church were active as teenagers. The study found that from high school graduation to age 25 there is a 42 percent drop in weekly church attendance and a 58 percent decline from age 18 to age 29. This represents about 8 million twentysomethings alive today who were active churchgoers as teens but will no longer be active in church by their 30th birthday. Source: Charisma News Service, October 2, 2003

U.S. families are in crisis

Speaking at a Kingdom Families conference, Tom Elliff, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church, Del City, Oklahoma, noted the overwhelming evidence in the breakdown of families.

• Each day in the U.S. more than 3,500 families are devastated by divorce.

• Americas divorce rate is now more than double the rate of 1960.

• Currently, more marriages are terminated by divorce than by the death of a spouse.

• One million children a year see their parents divorce.

• More than 50 percent of the children in Americas public schools live in single-parent homes.

• 35 percent of Americas children live apart from their biological fathers.

• 50 percent of children who live apart from their biological fathers have never stepped foot in their fathers house.

• Children in single-parent homes have a 300 percent greater possibility of a negative life outcome than children raised in homes where both parents are present.

• In the past 40 years, pregnancies out of wedlock have increased 600 percent.

• Fewer than 40 percent of married couples claim to be very happy.

• Among evangelicals, Internet pornography is now a major factor in the dissolution of families and departure from ministry.

• Personal bankruptcies are at an all-time high in America. Tithing and giving are becoming practices that are lost to succeeding generations.

• The majority of children in America have fewer than 10 minutes of significant and meaningful conversation with their parents each week.

Source: Facts & Trends, November 2003

Religious investors consider ethics

Investors who define themselves as religious are breaking the stereotype of only being narrowly concerned about traditional sin issues, such as pornography and abortion products when considering investments.

While certain sin stocks are still taboo to most religious investors, many are also influenced by a companys ethics or lack thereof.

Two-thirds of U.S. religious investors said they would consider casting out a mutual fund with holdings in one or more companies implicated in unethical practices while half said they would definitely dump them.

Almost half (46 percent) of these investors said the recent spate of corporate shady behavior influenced them to consider their religious beliefs and values more seriously when making investment decisions.

Source: Plansponsor.com, November 12, 2003