At Home – by Rudy Gray

He was not the first to say it, but he was the first person I heard say it. Vance Havner once noted that “there are three kinds of lies: black lies, white lies, and statistics!”

Rudy Gray

Gary Foster Consulting has compiled some interesting data. For example, today only 7 percent of adults believe the local church is central to one’s faith development. However, adult church attendance in the United States has risen from a low of 37 percent in 1996 to 47 percent in 2006. Involvement in small group Bible study or prayer groups has also reached a new high of 23 percent.

MySpace.com has more than 57 million users and is growing at about 160,000 users per day. It seems that constant exposure to media may be harmful to children. New studies link TV and video games to many problems, including obesity, sexual activity, consumerism and anti-social behavior. The average Christian spends more time watching TV in one evening than Bible reading in a week.

Ninety-two percent of Christians and 74 percent of non-Christians believe religious beliefs actually change the way you live. Thirty-six percent of Christians and 47 percent of non-Christians are “still trying to figure out the purpose of life.” That statistic is particularly interesting to me, because I am convinced that God has given Christians just one overarching general purpose. That single purpose can be applied in a multitude of ways. It is simple: Glorify God. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

There are more than 4 million pornography Web sites, with more than 68 million users daily. The average age of first exposure to porn is 11. Twelve-to 17-year-olds are the biggest Internet porn consumers. Eighty percent of 15- to 17-year-olds have had multiple exposures to hard-core porn, while 90 percent of 8- to 16-year-olds have viewed online porn.

Statistics can be confusing. They can even sound contradictory. However, from the few stats that I have mentioned, it seems clear that God’s people in our society have tremendous opportunities to live the truth, model the life of faith, and reach those who do not know Christ and his redeeming grace.