Are Americans throwing their money away?Americans now spend more on gambling than on movies, videos and DVDs, music and books combined. With an annual growth rate of about nine percent since 1991, gambling is growing substantially faster than the economy as a whole.
Parents dont do enough about kids faith trainingMost parents of children under age 13 (85 percent) believe they have the primary responsibility for the spiritual development of their children. Eleven percent said their church is primarily responsible, and one percent said it is mostly the domain of their childs school. Related research revealed that a majority of parents dont spend any time during a typical week discussing spiritual matters or studying religious materials with their children. The survey by Barna Research found that parents typically have no plan for the spiritual development of their children, do not
consider it a priority, have little or no training in how to nurture a childs faith, have no related standards or goals that they are seeking to satisfy and experience no accountability for their efforts.
Source: The Barna Update,May 6, 2003
Top 5 qualities leaders want to develop
High quality performance
Communication
Inspiration
Effective conflict management
Effective time management
Source: Leadership, Winter 2003
Just friends?25 percent of wives and 44 percent of husbands cheat on their spouse
A new study shows that 25 percent of wives and 44 percent of husbands cheat on their spouse. According to the new book Not Just Friends by Shirley Glass, most infidelity occurs with co-workers who are working together exclusively on a special project.
Source: WSTR 94.1 FM, June 3, 2003
Romanian astronomers claim to pinpoint exact time of crucifixionTwo Romanian astronomers claim to have pinpointed the exact time and date of the Crucifixion of Jesus. According to Liviu Mircea and Tiberiu Oproiu of the Astronomic Observatory Institute in Cluj, Romania, Jesus died at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 33 A.D. According to their reading of the New Testament data, Jesus was crucified on the day after the first night with a full moon after the vernal equinox. If the Crucifixion took place some time between the years 26 A.D. and 35 A.D., this could mean either Friday, April 7, 30 A.D., or Friday, April 3, 33 A.D. But it was only in the latter year that astronomy records show a solar eclipse as having occurred in Jerusalem ("And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour," according to Mark 15:33). The two astronomers have also timed the Resurrection precisely as having occurred at 4 a.m. the following Sunday, April 5.
Source:Crosswalk.com, May 9, 2003
ILLUSTRATION BY MARK HERRON
Growth in porn industry
Adult-pay web sites on the Internet in 2000: 70,000
Growth in porn industry revenue including pay-per-view, phone sex, in-room hotel movies, sex toys, magazines
1972 7 million
1996 8 billion
2000 12 billion
Growth in adult video rentals
1985 75 million units
1992 445 million units
2000 721 million units
Growth in videos available for home use (rather than films)
1978 100 films
1986 1,500 videos
1992 2,200 videos
1997 8,000 videos
2000 11,000 videos
Number of days for video stores renting tapes to make back the cost of tapes purchased
Mainstream Hollywood releases: 20 days
Adult releases: 5 days
Did you know
Every dollar of the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is used for missionaries and their ministries.
Not one dime of the AAEO goes to administrative costs or promotion of the offering.
AAEO has grown from gifts of more than $5,000 in 1895 to $49,246,012 in 2002 (2% more than in 2001).
In 2002, the efforts of Southern Baptist missionaries, volunteers and laypeople led countless thousands to Christ; started 1,451 new churches while adding 164 newly affiliated SBC churches (an average of 4.4 new churches a day); supported 5,204 North American missionaries, serving in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa; and mobilized 300,000 people in short-term projects.
But the need is great. Seven out of 10 people in North America dont know Christ as their Savior.
Source: North American Mission Board, July 28, 2003
By the numbers
33 percent of Americans dont go to church, up from 21 percent in 1991
86 percent of Americans believe in a God Who answers prayers
50 percent of Americans describe themselves as religious
45 percent of Americans say personal views guide them more than do God and religious teachings
66 percent of U.S. adults strongly agree that they are very happy with their life
70 percent of U.S. adults say their personal religious faith is constantly growing deeper
Source: Moody Magazine, final issue, July/August 2003; Christianity Today, April 2003 and Barna Research Online, April 24, 2003
Quick QuoteIn the next 365 days 2.3 million Americans and 54 million people around the world will die without knowing Christ. Is anybody going to heaven because of you?
Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life (Zondervan, 2002), challenged worshippers at July 2003 Christian Booksellers Associationconvention in Orlando. Pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Mission Viejo, California, his best-seller was named Book of the Year. For more resources, see The Pulse.