In Brief... Changing Face of Religion in America
Said a feature article in USA Today, "The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey released today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, documents new peaks, deepening valleys and fast-running rivers of change in American religion" (Feb. 26, 2008).
Several things are happening. Major churches showed moderate declines, including the Roman Catholic, the Baptist, the Methodist and the Lutheran denominations. Yet Christianity clearly dominates the religious scene in the United States with nearly 80 percent of the adult population indicating an allegiance.
In summary, "The major Christian denominations are losing numbers fast. Only non-denominational Christian churches showed growth, outpacing losses. 'Two in three people who say they grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses have left the faith. Any one of 10 people you meet is a former Catholic,'" says Luis Lugo, Pew Forum director (ibid.).
Several church authorities seem to agree that "there's no question that change is afoot and that doctrine and denominations are losing their hold on Western Christian nations." In fact, there has been a monumental shift away from the doctrines of the New Testament Church. To learn more, read or request our free booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story.
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: March - April 2008
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
