The media report an irony associated with the continuing surge of interest in spirituality. They say it's running side by side with a decline in attendance at some mainline churches. But good news about churchgoing hasn't disappeared. Here are samples from the Journal's research that show the viability of church as a home for a variety of worshipers and as an institution contributing to society today.
In one Web search, the phrase "Going to church" produced 522,649 matches. One of these is a site titled "IS CHURCH NECESSARY?" Its summary: more than fifteen Bible verses that say "Yes." Also, there are many (one estimate puts the number in the millions) churches and other religious groups with Web sites, including at least one virtual place of worship that describes itself as "a religious experience without walls." It welcomes visitors to Bible stories, sermons, and discussions .
Discussing Alan Wolfe's book One Nation, After All, David Gergen observes: "The best news—'astonishing, in fact'—is the way a once Christian nation [the United States] has adjusted to a proliferation of other religions within its midst. Instead of fighting over religious differences, as so many other societies have, Americans have come to respect each other's beliefs even as they continue to hold fast to their own faiths."
