Ryan Burge has put together a map showing the average church attendance as a percent of the population by state. While the results are certainly interesting, no one would find them surprising. The deep red of the South, the dark pink of the Midwest and other parts of the South are all predictable. The deep red of Utah and Idaho are obviously reflective of the strength of the Mormon presence there. What is mildly surprising are those states that show the lowest -- Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, among them. It betrays the stereotype of Wisconsin, for example, as an average upper Midwest state. Of course, Maine, Washington, and Oregon are what you might expect. However, over all it does remind us that even in the dark red states, there is still plenty of room to evangelize. The numbers are low enough to give us all a sober reminder that the vast majority of the population around us is not deeply connected to the Church. While some might insist that this does not mean they do not believe, I think it is safe to say that the faith they profess is less than vital if it cannot bring them to hit their church home at least once a month.
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When I go about my life, there are times I greet friends and acquaintances around the senior apartments during my daily walks. I have found in conversations with a majority of folks, only Christian people who attend church will engage in discussions or even briefly comment about the Lord, about faith, about prayer, about being saved. Some people quickly avoid any references to the things of God, treating the topic as out of bounds, too private, or worse yet….not relevant to their life interests. It often troubles me that so many folks, even aged people nearing the end of their lives, dismiss the idea that they must stand before God someday. Thoughtless comments will proceed from their mouths; “I’m ok with the man upstairs,” or “I am Catholic,” or their facial gestures tell that the conversation need go no further. When you find another Christian who is unashamed of the Gospel of Christ, and will share their faith with you, and encourage you, and is interested in you….you have found a good thing. Maybe that is why Christians can never be comfortable except in their own communities of faith, where people are not afraid to talk about Jesus, to whom He is real, and to whom they love and revere. I have met church going people who also do not speak about the Lord outside of church, and they have compartmentalized their religious life as something apart from their worldly life. Yet, the Christian life is never to be a separate place. It is our defining identity as believers. It is through our faith in Christ that we filter our worldview, it is not simply an intellectual or philosophical interest to be exercised only within the walls of church. The map showing the percent of church going Americans in red and blue states captures the idea that many more people, including those professing to be Christians, are not interested in Jesus, but absorbed by the world primarily, and this Jesus understood when He walked in earth. It added to the loneliness He felt in the Garden, and as He hung on the Cross, knowing that there are many ways in which people would reject Him while He bled and died to save their souls. Soli Deo Gloria
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