Everybody knows that church life is booming in the U.S., and there are plenty of statistics to prove it. But statistics can bear false witness. The Information Service of the National Council of Churches has published a guide to the snares of religious facts and figures. Highlights:
¶The annual compilations of church statistics, found in the Yearbook of American Churches, represent nothing more accurate or official than the results gained from "mailing blanks . . . to the official statisticians of the religious bodies. But not all of the reports are for 1954 in the latest compilation."
¶As for church membership, the...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
