This has been a busy week in the faith community -- a time of national meetings, grappling with divisive issues and the release of a public opinion poll on perceptions about "radical Christianity."
The nationwide survey by the Ventura-based Barna Group reported that 56% of atheists and agnostics believe that "radical Christianity is just as threatening in America as is radical Islam."
The independent marketing firm, which has tracked trends relating to beliefs, values and behaviors since 1984, looked at the beliefs of agnostics and atheists and compared them to believers over a two-year period.
The survey of 1,055 people indicated that atheists and agnostics tend to be younger and are more often male and single. Six percent of those 61 and older identified themselves as atheist or agnostic; 9% of those 42 to 60, 14% of those 23 to 41 and 19% of people 18 to 22 also identified themselves as atheist or agnostic.
Researchers found that people without faith are less likely to be registered to vote than believers (78% versus 89%), and less likely to help a poor or homeless person (41% versus 61%) even though they are more likely to be college graduates and make more money than believers.
About 9% of Americans identify themselves as having no faith, the survey said.
But agnostics, atheists and believers also had some things in common: Both were equally likely to consider themselves "good citizens" and "reliable and loyal" people who put their families first.
The survey also found that "no-faith" Americans typically donated $200 to charities in 2006, far less than the amount given by "active-faith" adults, who typically contributed $1,500.
"Even when church-based giving is subtracted from the equation, active-faith adults donated twice as many dollars last year as did atheists and agnostics," the study said.
The findings were based on a series of nationwide telephone surveys between January 2005 and January 2007. The poll's margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Baptists seek repentance
Unlike its prior annual meetings that have stressed winning converts, the emphasis at this year's Southern Baptist Convention's session in San Antonio was a call for repentance and "evangelism with integrity."
"Do you know why our baptisms continue to languish in a day and time when people are receptive to the Gospel, in a day and time when people can be reached and they will listen?" asked the Rev. Frank S. Page, president of the nation's largest Protestant denomination. "It's because we've not been right before God."
