Podcast Episode Details

The Burge Report: How Church Attendance Makes You a Better American

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Social capital refers to the unseen connections that unite individuals within a local community. It inspires people to support the local school system even if they don’t have children or to volunteer for a city park cleanup even if they rarely visit it. It’s the cohesive force that strengthens society and sustains a thriving democracy. Ryan Burge joins the show to discuss the connection between social capital and church attendance and how being active in church makes you a better person for your community and nation.

• • In the early 2000s, houses of worship were considered one of the last remaining engines of social capital in the United States. What happened?
  • Trust is at an all-time low. In the most recent data collected in 2022, the share of Americans who said other people could be trusted reached an all-time low of just 26%.
  • Why are evangelicals a skeptical group? And does church attendance help or hurt this skepticism?
  • What does the future hold for social capital and the church?

Resources:

• Upward Sports

• Filament Bible Collection

• Tyndale House Publishers

• Ryan Burge

• “How the Rise Of Evangelical Distrust Is Making Evangelism Harder” by Ryan Burge

• “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam (affiliate link)

• FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

• Church Answers Central

• The Hope Initiative

Episode Sponsors:

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago