According to the results of a survey of more than 1,700 Americans that was released on May 4, the National Day of Prayer, “there is more praying taking place than people expect.”
John Dye, executive director of Skylight, which commissioned the study conducted by City Square Associates, said the survey revealed that people “are frequently exploring their spiritual side and using prayer to work through adversity, finding meaning, and creating a connection with a Higher Power.”
The group learned that more than 60 percent of Americans pray regularly, and more than 80 percent of those believe their prayers are being answered. They pray an average of twice a day for 18 minutes, mostly by themselves. Many pray with family members and at formal religious worship services.
They pray ahead of a major trip or journey, during a major weather storm, before making a major financial decision, in advance of a job interview, before taking a test or an exam, or ahead of a presentation or a performance.
Another study, done by Springtide Research Institute (SRI), revealed that a third of 18- to 25-year-olds believe in a higher power, up from just 25 percent two years ago.
Membership at the Christian streaming service PureFlix (an alternative to NetFlix) has more than doubled in the past two years. And the ripple effect of the Asbury Revival in February continues to resonate, now reaching more than 200 academic institutions.
Another hopeful survey came from the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University. Here is the center’s summary of those holding “the seven cornerstones of a biblical worldview”:
- Half of all adults believe in God as the Creator of all things, the sustainer of humankind and the universe; omnipotent; omniscient; omnipresent; loving; and just;
- One in every four Americans holds that all human beings are sinful;
- More than a third have accepted the free gift of forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ;
- Nearly half hold that the Bible is the word of God and is true, reliable, and relevant;
- One out of four holds that absolute truth exists;
- More than a third view their purpose in life as knowing, loving, and serving the Creator with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength; and
- A quarter believe that success on earth consists of obedience to God in thoughts, words, and actions.
Even more importantly, over the last two years those percentages have improved in four of those categories.
As George Barna, the director of research for the CRC, noted:
Embracing the seven cornerstones is not just about developing a biblical worldview for its own sake. A biblical worldview is imperative because it is the only pathway to being able to consistently think like Jesus so that we can then live like Him.
Finally, the results of last week’s secular survey done by TheEconomist/YouGov reveal that two-thirds of Americans consider that religion is “very important” or “somewhat important” in their lives. Almost a third attend religious services at least once a week, while four out of ten describe themselves as “born-again” or evangelical Christians. More than half pray at least a few times every week, with most of them praying “several times a day.”
All of which confirms that, despite the relentless communist attack on religion — and especially on Christianity — spanning many decades, there is an unmovable, unshakeable foundation that remains in place.
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