Sunday, January 09, 2005
Is it time to make some spiritual resolutions?
It's one week into the new year. Have you already slipped up on your resolutions? As fast as we make 'em, we just as quickly forget 'em. We vow to exercise regularly, quit smoking, improve relationships with family or co-workers. You know the routine.
Truth be told, the resolutions we commit to every year are more like a greedy kid's Christmas list: more wishful thinking than realized dreams.
Ever stop to think about making spiritual resolutions? How do the beliefs we profess -- the faith we claim to uphold -- affect our lives?
There's data, however, to suggest that more and more of us probably need a spiritual shot in the arm.
Each year, the Barna Group conducts research and provides an annual overview of the nation's spiritual health. Its end-of-the-year summary for 2004, based on more than 10,000 interviews, offers both discouraging news and hopeful insights into people's faith and spirituality, particularly among those who are Christians.
Here is some of what Barna reports:
• "Faith has had a limited effect on people's behavior, whether related to moral convictions and practices, relational activities, lifestyle choices or economic practices."
• "Most adults admit that children do not get adequate spiritual and moral preparation in life, yet there is no aggressive or strategic effort being made to alter that unfortunate circumstance."
• "Half of all adults are so satisfied with their spiritual life that there is nothing at all they wish to change or improve in the future. Another one-quarter listed changes that were quite general or not personally challenging."
• "The number of unchurched adults in the United States has doubled since 1991. That growth has been especially pronounced among men, people under 40, singles, and people living in coastal states."
Not all the report is gloomy. There are positive signs:
• An estimated 22 million adults have been added to the numbers of churched people in the United States during the past decade.
• Almost two-thirds of American adults continue to give "significant amounts" of money to churches and other houses of worship.
• The western part of the United States, where there's said to be less spiritual activity or interest, has experienced the greatest increase in the past decade in Bible reading, church attendance and small group participation.
Let's start by asking: How will faith make a difference in my life this year? What specific plans could I make to enhance or renew my faith?
Commitment to spiritual growth often needs a jump-start, followed by a disciplined way to consecrate our days to something greater than ourselves.
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