Christina
Hello, everyone, I’m Christina Darnell, the managing editor of MinistryWatch. Welcome to the MinistryWatch podcast.
In today’s extra episode, I talk with Warren Smith about some news items that are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.”
So, Warren, what’s up first?
Warren
The San Francisco Chronicle has yet another article about the so-called Great Wealth Transfer.
According to the article, the “term [was] popularized by a 2024 report from market research firm Cerulli Associates. The broad idea is that, over the next two decades, as baby boomers journey to the great postwar subdivision in the sky, they will bequeath $124 trillion in assets — leaving $105 trillion to their children and $18 trillion to charities.”
Christina
You said this was “yet” another article. Do you think this story is overblown?
Warren
If you detect a bit of weariness in my tone, it is not because I don’t believe in the Great Wealth Transfer. It is coming, but it is always coming. It is not an event. It’s a process. A generation doesn’t die in a day, or a year. It dies over the course of a generation, and as long as the population and the economy keep growing, EVERY generation’s wealth will be greater than the previous generation. That’s the simple logic of the situation, but journalists breathlessly try to turn the Great Wealth Transfer into news every few months.
Christina
That said, you are here promoting the story and the idea yourself.
Warren
Touche! The Chronicle article is interesting, and I recommend it. And to all our readers: make sure you take our Philanthropy Assessment. It will give you some simple, actionable steps to make sure that your wealth ends up where you want it to go.
Christina
Warren, you’ve said that one of the most persistent myths in Christian world is the myth that the ranks of the Catholic Church is swelling with ex-evangelicals.
Warren
It’s not happening. Data guru Ryan Burge has pointed out that when there’s movement, it’s more often from Catholic to evangelical. Burge this week published a treasure trove of data from Detroit Catholics that further documents the decline of Catholicism in the U.S. Among his observations: “In 2011, the average weekend Mass attendance in the archdiocese was about 231,000 people. That dropped below 200,000 by 2015, it declined to 163,000 by 2019. The most recent data that these workbooks provide is from 2024, when Mass attendance was just under 140,000. According to their own reports, the Catholic Church in Detroit is recording an attendance decline of 4% per year.”
Christina
A lot of folks might say that Detroit is an anomaly. It’s been a city in decline.
Warren
That’s a myth, too.
And if you are thinking, “Yeah, well, that’s Detroit. The city is dying.” Burge says that’s an old narrative. The population of Detroit rose during that same period.
Christina
A headline in The Jerusalem Post grabbed your attention this week.
Warren
It did. That headline is: “Why 800 million Evangelical Christians stand with Israel in an age of rising antisemitism.”
It grabbed me because there are nowhere near 800 million evangelicals in the world. The most respected source for global Christian demographics is the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. It puts the number at around 400 million.
Christina
Well, maybe that headline was the product of an over-zealous headline writer.
Warren
I thought that too. Then I read the first line of the editorial, by Greg Denham, pastor of Rise Church in San Marcos, California and the founder of the Pastors Alliance for Israel. The headline merely echoed the first sentence in his essay: “At a time of rising anti-Israel sentiment, anti-Zionism, and antisemitism, it is worth asking why nearly 800 million Evangelical Christians continue to stand firmly with the nation of Israel.”
It is a good question. It would be a better question if he got his facts right. That might cause readers to care more about his answer.
Christina
While we’re on the subject, a new survey indicates Americans are souring on Israel.
Warren
The most recent of Pew Research survey, unveiled on Thursday, July 9, found that most U.S. adults – 62 percent — now view the Israeli government unfavorably, a nearly 20-point shift from 2022, when only 43 percent said the same. By the way, I’m a big supporter of Israel. I’ve visited there twice. But if you don’t think recent events in the Middle East aren’t having a major impact on the world’s opinion of Israel, you’re not paying attention.
Christina
Warren, I know you’re a history buff, and you noted in your “Signs and Wonders” column this week that last week was John Calvin’s birthday. He was born on July 9, 1509.
Warren
He wrote the first draft of his book Institutes of the Christian Religion when he was 26 years old. Many people marvel that he wrote a book that helped change the course of history at such a young age. But he revised it regularly over the years, and the version we read today is a version he published at age 50. This work was significant in shaping Protestant theology and was initially published in Latin while he was in exile in Basel, Switzerland.
Christina
Warren, let’s close today with a recent column by Aaron Renn about the Boy Scouts of America.
Warren
The Boy Scouts of America, one of the great institutions of civil society in the history of this country, is now a shell of its former self, and its prospects are not bright. For an up-to-date assessment of what is happening with what is now called Scouting America, I recommend Aaron Renn’s recent column, which you can find here. A preview: “The Scouts have responded by doing basically what mainline Protestantism and any number of other institutions did. It evacuated its traditional religious core, adopted standard issue liberal positions du jour, and started allowing girls to join (in the way the mainlines allowed female clergy). This isn’t likely to work out any better for them than it did for the mainline churches.”
Christina
Any closing thoughts before we go?
Warren
If you have not discovered our YouTube channel, check it out here. We now have 200 videos there, and they have attracted tens of thousands of views. Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word about our work.
Christina
The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m Christina Darnell, along with Warren Smith.
Until next time, may God bless you.
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