Churches and religious organizations have a unique importance in American society

Why?
 

How do we know??
 
 

Stats:
roughly half of all Americans are members of church associations (OECD)
nearly half of all associational membership in America are church related
half of all personal philanthropy is religious in character
half of all volunteering occurs in a religious context (66)
churches spend $15-20 billion on social services annually (68)

Putnam:  “Faith communities in which people worship together are arguably the single most important repository of social capital in America” (66).

 “Churches provide an important incubator for civic skills, civic norms, community interests, and civic recruitment” (66).

Stress the importance of Black churches here (68)

What civic skills have you seen demonstrated in your faith communities?

What civic skills have you learned/practiced in your faith communities?
 

Putnam:
 “Religiousity rivals education as a powerful correlate of most forms of civic engagement” (67).

 “Religious involvement is an especially strong predictor of volunteering and philanthropy” (67)/
 

Why??
 
 

Note: that Putnam attributes the activities of the religious to CONNECTEDNESS “not merely faith” (67).

Thus, the tendency for Americans to become “unchurched” has disturbing consequences for civic life

 1968 – 9% of college freshmen unchurched
 1990s – 19% (75)
 

Note that the rise of evangelical churches does not make up for the declines from mainline denominations
 

See figs. 12 and 13

Overall, Protestants and Jews have declined in membership;
Catholics have gained (due to immigration from Latin America)

Regionally,
Most unchurched in Northeast; most devout in Bible Belt
 

Note also denominational variations in service patterns
 Mainline Protestants most civically active
 Then Catholics

 Much of new evangelical church activities devoted to members