Robert Wuthnow is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. Wuthnow argues that some of the common notions about American religion are wrong and that the idea of a religious revival seems not to be supported by any data. These remarks were delivered by Wuthnow as part of a conference on "Religious Practice and Civic Life: What the Research Says"; below are his main points of Myths about American religion:
Myth #1: America is in the midst of a religious and spiritual awakening.
Myth #2: There is no secularization.
Myth #3: Politics is driving people from the church.
Myth #4: Membership in evangelical denominations is growing.
Myth #5: The culture war is over—or never happened.
Read the entire article to see what his research data and analysis really indicates about American religion. I found this excerpt to be reinforce the notion that one's life stage affects church participation:
A pastor who has worked with young adults for several generations explained it in a way that is perhaps clearer than citing statistics. With only a slight overstatement, he put it this way: It used to be that boy and girls got confirmed at 13, and you didn't see them again until they were 18 and came back to get married. That was five years, and maybe they were still living at home most of the time. Nowadays, you don't see them again until they are 30 and come back to get married. That's 17 years. It's a long time.
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