So where have all the Christians gone?

Good question. In some ways, a double whammy -- the number of Christians as a percentage of the U.S. population is dropping, and the number of Christians that affiliate themselves with a denomination (such as Lutheran, Baptist, or Methodist) or with an existing institution (a non-denominational church).

Here's the article -- http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/09/25/bruce-feiler-christians-americans-gone/

Personally, a Christian is a Christian, pure and simple. But I do find (generally) that those Christians that aren't "lone wolf" believers -- those believers that find a group of like-minded people to strengthen and nourish their faith and fellowship tend to be stronger in their faith.

And of course, I like this passage from Ecclesiastes 4 (emphasis mine)...

I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, "Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?" More smoke. A bad business.

It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there's no one to help, tough!

Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.

By yourself you're unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

(The Message paraphrase)

The devil LOVES the divide and conquer strategy. One on one, he's got us outmatched and outgunned. Together, along with Christ, the game's done, and we're the one with the W. What do you think?

"Labor" Day -- Losing something?

"Labor Day reverence is lost, say historians"
[Click here for the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune]

There's a good article in today's San Diego Union-Tribune by John Wilkens that reminds us why Labor Day was created. No, it wasn't to grill up the last of the summer's supply of ribs and steaks, nor was it a last chance to take a mini-vacation before school really got into session. Over 125 years ago (127, to be exact) Labor Day was founded as a day of protest against the working conditions of the time -- 12 hour work days, 7 days a week(84 hour work-weeks? That's worth marching in a parade for), with truly horrid working conditions. From all of this spawned more than a holiday, but the beginnings of the labor unions.

Over the past century and a quarter, the power and might of the unions have seen it's highest points, and is currently in one of it's lowest points -- a recent Gallup poll found that on 49% of Americans have a favorable view of labor unions -- the first time that rating has fallen below 50% since that question started being asked around 1937.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup finds organized labor taking a significant image hit in the past year. While 66% of Americans continue to believe unions are beneficial to their own members, a slight majority now say unions hurt the nation's economy. More broadly, fewer than half of Americans -- 48%, an all-time low -- approve of labor unions, down from 59% a year ago.

These results are from the 2009 installment of Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, conducted Aug. 6-9. The 48% of Americans now approving of unions represents the first sub-50% approval since Gallup first asked the question in the 1930s. The previous low was 55%, found in both 1979 and 1981.

Source -- "Labor Unions See Sharp Slide in U.S. Public Support" by Lydia Saad. [Article here]

And I can understand why -- at its height, unions fought for the workers and against unfair labor practices. Their efforts spearheaded the 40-hour work week, fair wages (not to be confused with minimum wages), and many of the benefits they rightfully enjoy today. (My family was able to put my sister and I through a combined 12 years of college on our dad's earnings as a railroad engineer -- so I know how good the fruits of that labor have been to us.) But right now, unions are at a low point. I think their involvement in political campaigns that go far beyond 40 hour work weeks and good working conditions is in no small part to blame. Americans are looking at the past 5 or so years, and they're not liking what they see. And with "Card Check" (a nice way of taking away the secret ballot when it comes to elections), and "health care reform," there's probably not much to change this pattern anytime soon. At the bottom are more of the results of the Gallup poll in quick hits fashion -- if you want to see the analysis, head over to the Gallup page. The current economic conditions lean toward a strengthening of the labor movement -- but their politics might blunt, or negate that trend. Granted, I strongly believe that our national holidays, formed for good reason (Independence Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas leading the way), are being lost do to apathy and neglect, but here, I wonder if the organizations that "represent" labor are shooting the holiday that honors labor in the foot? What do you think?