EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.
Anecdotes, Not Data. William Bennett famously said, “The plural of anecdotes is not data.” Journalists who write about religion often forget that reality. The latest example came from Carson Daly of the “Today” show. He wants us to believe that young people are packing Catholic churches and leading a Catholic resurgence in this country. The data tell a different story.
I turned to the 2023-24 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study — based on nearly 37,000 randomly selected American adults — for a reality check.
Among its findings: About 19% of U.S. adults identify as Catholic, unchanged since 2014 but well below historical levels. Even more telling: 43% of Americans raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic. Only 1.5% of American adults have become Catholic after being raised in another religion or with no religion. Catholics have experienced the largest net losses of any major Christian tradition through religious switching.
What about young people? Among Americans ages 18-24, 12% have left Catholicism, while only 1% have converted into it. Pew concluded there is “no clear evidence” of a nationwide religious revival among young adults.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
A Degree on Your Phone? My friend Joseph Slife forwarded me a story that Michigan’s Cornerstone University was offering a degree that could be completed “100%” on a smartphone. I checked the date on the story. Surely this was from April Fools’ Day. Alas, it is not. According to The College Fix, “Cornerstone University, located in Grand Rapids, is offering an associate degree and bachelor’s degree in strategic business management along with a master’s in organizational leadership through its new program. Students pay a fixed rate of $2,400 per four-month term or $3,750 for graduate-level work. The intended audience is working adults.”
I am not a Luddite. I use my iPhone for a lot of things, including learning. YouTube videos have helped me learn new licks on the guitar, repair my toilet, and gain new insights into the human condition. But learning via iPhone is a different experience than face-to-face, in classroom learning from a wise and well-qualified teacher — in community with other learners who are grappling with the same ideas, both in class, but also around the dinner table in the dining hall. Virtual learning is not worthless. It is just different. I do not oppose colleges offering programs virtually, but to offer accredited degrees that carry all the prestige and credentialing power of an in-person degree — well, that is just bearing false witness.
A Court Blunder. Veteran National Public Radio Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg wrote a story that Justice Samuel Alito had retired — which he had not. That story made it through NPR’s editing process and onto the website before someone discovered the mistake. About an hour after publication, NPR retracted the story, issued a correction, and apologized.
Charlie Warzel, writing for The Atlantic, offers a fascinating post-mortem on the episode, arguing that the error highlights several pathological habits of modern journalism. Among them: “That a breakneck news cycle is forcing even the best reporters and editors to move too fast, that modern beat reporting itself has become too consumed with being first to report stories.” Warzel’s story is a smart look at how the journalistic sausage is made. I recommend it.
Texas Bible Readings. The Texas State Board of Education has passed a new required reading list that includes Bible passages. On June 26, the Republican-controlled board voted 9-5-1 to approve a first-of-its-kind list that will affect more than 5 million public school students. According to Church Leaders, “The list, which takes full effect in 2030, will be phased in gradually. Required readings for younger students include illustrated Old Testament stories such as Noah’s Ark and David and Goliath. By upper elementary school, students read New Testament passages about Jesus’ teachings and parables. Middle school and high school lessons pair scriptural themes with classic literature.”
On balance, I am glad they are reading the Bible in the classroom. You simply cannot understand most of Western literature — from Dante to Shakespeare to Faulkner to Eliot — without some biblical literacy. That said, I do wonder if this action will also give militantly secularized teachers a platform and permission to discredit the passages they are assigned to teach.
Time will tell whether this was a positive innovation or one full of unintended consequences. Until then, though, I know that “God’s word will not return void” — and I trust that the positive impact of scripture reading will be greater than any efforts to undermine it.
MinistryWatch on YouTube. If you have not discovered our YouTube channel, check it out here. We now have nearly 200 videos there, and they have attracted tens of thousands of views. Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word about our work.
Readers in New Mexico. I am in Albuquerque next month. If you live in the Land of Enchantment, one of my favorite states, reach out to me. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you. My email is wsmith@ministrywatch.com.