4 Findings About Christian Charity and Young Americans That Once Again Prove the Power of Faith By Billy Hallowell for Faith Wire
GNN Note – We have been under the impression the studies, research and white papers produced by LifeWay are deeply flawed and the numbers they report about the number of active Christians, active being involved in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Does this mean they are showing up at a building called church on Sunday or Wednesday or another day/time of the week? Nope, not at all. That doesn’t mean their relationship with Jesus Christ is any less important or any more important than others who show up at a building called church. / END
“Be good, for goodness’ sake” is a saying embraced and frequently spouted by some atheist activists.
But while this statement is sometimes used to diminish the need for faith, a new survey again shows how Christianity holds powerful sway over people’s decisions when it comes to donations and volunteering habits.
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We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
Let’s explore just four takeaways from the recent survey results released by AdelFi and Lifeway Research:
1. Christian Young Adults Give Three Times More to Charity
First and foremost, the AdelFi and Lifeway Research found Christian young adultsbetween the ages of 25 and 40 report giving three times as much to charity during the year than their non-Christians counterparts.
A Christian young adult gives around $1,820 versus $556 for a non-Christian.
Some might attribute this difference to tithing and giving to church efforts, though Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell said it extends beyond that dynamic.
“One would expect Christians to give more than non-Christians to churches and religious organizations, but they are also more likely to donate to 3 out of 4 other types of recipients,” he said. “While overall the financial generosity of Christian young adults is very noticeable, there remains a large group who don’t practice their belief in the need to give to a local church.”
2. Christian Young Adults Are Also More Likely to Believe in Volunteering
We’ll get back to giving, but Lifeway Research also found fascinating results on volunteerism, another essential measure of good works and deeds.
It turns out 74% of Christian young adults expressed the importance of volunteering time to people and causes, compared to 68% of non-Christians.
The gap isn’t massive, yet it is notable.