| Show The Nations Nation's Religious Structure I Church F Fervor Sweeps Over U. U S. S As Man Searches for Security f I Editors Editor's note nol This Is the last article in a series genes tracing current current current cur cur- rent religious ous trends in Amer Amer- ica By nr George Cornell NEW YORK Key iP-Key Key signs ns today indicate a phenomenal upsurge upsurge upsurge up up- surge of ot interest In religion In America While the evidence doesn't show that hat the count country as a whole ismore is ismore ismore more devout it docs does hint that or or- religion is commanding new wider attention A few of the clues 1 Seminaries are packed and some of them for the first time are being forced to turn away cants 2 Bible sales have nearl nearly doubled doubled doubled dou dou- bled in the last decade increasing between 5 and 10 in the last year car 3 A radio networks network's broadcast t ton on reli religion on last month stirred the greatest letter response in the programs program's programs program's programs program's pro pro- grams gram's year 16 history 4 I. The number of newspaper and magazine syndicates handling re religious religious religious re- re features have jumped from 1 17 to 45 in five years 5 Church building is at an all all- I time lime hi high h. h I 6 Most colleges es and universities across the country have expanded religious curricula to lo meet student demands 7 i. i Present-day Present touring evangelists evangelists evange evange- lists have attracted record near crowds 8 American industry and advertising advertising ad ad- men for the third time are arc backing an unusual nationwide nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide religion promotion program 9 Church contributions and attendance attendance attendance at at- a basic gauge of church vitality are considered by official official official cial to be at a peak 10 Religious and inspirational books in r recent e c e n t years ears ha have ve achieved ed a regular place on bestseller bestseller best best- seller lists Close observers view the sharpened sharpened sharpened sharp sharp- ened religious appetite of the country country country coun coun- try as a result of the insecurity of the times They also see it as a possible reaction against an age of intense scientific rationalism and a resurgent resurgent resurgent gent conviction that materialistic advances ances can never fully cope with lifes life's basi needs What hat Is the result of this Instability instability instability Here are answers of some someI I leading church authorities Theologian Dr Reinhold Nie- Nie buhr There Is a new receptivity toward the message of historic faith which is in marked contrast to the indifference and hostility of past decades Clarence Hall mana managing ing editor of the Christian Herald Religious Religious ious ious ous interest is at an time all-time high Churches are arc packed People are going who had never been inside a achurch achurch achurch church before Catholic Cleric Monsignor Thomas J J. J McCarthy of oC the National Catholic Welfare council Washington D. D C. C Particularly Par tic since the end of the war there has been a notable rallying to the church The tremendous struggle the Catholic church is waging against communism has attracted attracted attracted at at- a great deal of attention not only to the churchs church's historical u I position w but brit to its teachings The high ligh percentage of converts being received into the church is witness to the growing growing- interest Dr Jesse M. M Bader of the Disciples Disciples Disciples Dis Dis- of Christ and head of the national councils council's evangelism department department de- de The churches in thelast thelast the last ast few years have made their greatest progress in h his history i s t tor o r y E Evangelism a n gel ism was never more healthy vigorous and active than thant it t is right now This evangelism is s not the spectacular kind but butts butt's its it's down in the churches and parishes church leaders applaud heightened concern with religion they also note its potential dan dan- gers Since periods of stress such as the present usually spark wider religious inquiry they say the impulse impulse impulse im im- im- im pulse is often partly due to fear and possibly to psychological panic anic When this motive is great they feel that many persons may be driven into erratic and unwholesome unwholesome some fringe expressions of religion religion re- re ligion such as weird cults and mysticism Part o of Scene These activities together with witha a host of strange psychological fads and mental-balm mental theories have become a part of the modern I scene The hope of church leaders is is' is I that hat mens men's present search for spiritual spiritual spir- spir spir 1 security can be channeled I into stable areas without ex ex- I eX-I I If we make a sound ministry available to the growing growing- sense of need one churchman said then there is a real possibility of a tremendous tremendous tremendous tre tre- tre- tre upsurge in the basic re religious religious religious re- re life liCe of America Concrete evidences of such a possibility appear on many fronts The interest that religion has stirred in purely business circles is reflected in the year old wide country-wide program religion in American life which is planning increased work this year Backed by the advertising council council council coun coun- cil public service agency of American American American Ameri Ameri- can industry and advertising men the program embraces all faiths Last year it put out hundreds of I radio broadcasts newspaper advertisements and bus and trolley cards to promote religion It set up billboards across the nation saying Take your problems to church this week Millions Mil Mil- Millions m- m lions leave them there Gain Total U. U S. S church membership last year stood at in inCluding including in- in eluding Protestants Catholics and Jews Although the 1950 figures will not be available until spring gains by individual denominations indicate the total will exceed Although membership statistics are considered an inaccurate measure measure measure meas meas- ure of religious life because an unknown number of members are macl inactive ve but still on the rolls the figures show a clear pattern over the last half century Up to the mid the c cycle moved up rapidly Then came a slump in membership gains that lasted through the late roaring and the depression For three years years 32 32 33 and 34 the 34 the proportion proportion pro pro- portion of the population on church rolls lingered at the 48 o mark I About 1936 signs of new growth appeared steadily climbing climbing- toward i the current resurgence |
