Archive

10 Data-Driven Resources to Help Pastors Lead on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

22% of Practicing Christians Feel Responsibility to Help Those Facing Discrimination

In light of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which takes places annually on the third Monday of January, we wanted to take a closer look at some key findings from the Where Do We Go from Here? report. One goal of this study was to identify some social causes that practicing Christians feel the Church at large or individual Christians are called to address—in other words, some key areas in which faith requires people to be hands-on ministers of mercy. Among examples of groups that could be considered in need of relief, Barna included people who face discrimination.

Year in Review: Barna’s Top 10 Releases of 2019

Barna conducts tens of thousands of interviews every year, attempting to make sense of public opinion, cultural trends and religious identity. This year, our most-discussed research and reports were those that strengthened our profile of young adults—not just in the United States but in 25 countries around the globe—and had a particular focus on understanding the forces shaping the future of evangelism and discipleship. To wrap up 2019, we’ve compiled our 10 most popular releases of the year.

Guest Column: The Evangelical Identity Crisis

U.S. Adults See Evangelicals Through a Political Lens

While, according to Barna’s categorization, evangelicals only make up about 6 percent of the U.S. population, this religious group has assumed a unique place in national discourse. As the U.S. enters another heated election year, a new Barna report shows Americans seem to increasingly view evangelicals through a political lens, which leads to mixed feelings toward this religious group. Our research has developed a pronounced portrait of this Christian minority over the years, but for this study our aim was different. We set out to understand how the general public understands evangelicals.

What Is the Church’s Role in Racial Reconciliation?

This August, historians note, marks 400 years since slavery began in the United States. As our country nears this anniversary, many are taking time to reflect on the history of racial injustice in America and their responsibility in healing the wounds of inequality that have been inflicted on black Americans over the last four centuries. A new report, Where Do We Go from Here?, represents the first of several new Barna efforts to study race and the Church and assesses what practicing Christians feel should be done to repair the damage.