One’s Chances of Picking Up Generosity Are “Significantly” Higher Among Christians Than Among Nonbelievers: Barna
A recent Barna study found that churchgoers are more likely to report being taught generosity and to have personal experience with giving than those who do not frequently attend church.
A survey of 2,016 persons in the United States revealed that 79% of “practicing” Christians and 58% of non-Christians both reported being taught generosity by an adult. “Practicing Christians” are those who claim their religion is extremely important to them and who attend church at least once a month, as defined by Barna. About two-thirds of all individuals in the United States credit a specific person or people for teaching them the value of generosity.
“Practising Christians are… considerably more likely to claim values of charity were instilled to them,” the Barna report concluded. This highlights the role that churches may play as centers of charitable giving. Churches might emulate Paul’s teachings on philanthropy by actively promoting and celebrating benevolence among their members.
Conversely, although just 41% of non-Christians and 46% of all U.S. adults say they have been the recipients of someone’s “exceptional” giving, 65% of practicing Christians say the same. According to Barna’s research, there are two potential causes for this discrepancy. To begin, there is a “huge possibility for someone to be both a participant in and beneficiary of generous community” among Christians who regularly attend church services since they are “more likely to be near other practicing Christians.” Second, “those who regularly attend church may be more likely to observe acts of kindness in their daily lives.”
According to Barna, “the Church places tremendous emphasis on the issues of giving and appreciation” (with 74% of active Christians reporting that their pastor often addresses the topic of generosity in sermons). As the saying goes, “priorities make things happen.”
The data was collected for the third installment of Barna’s The State of Generosity series, titled Why Giving Is Good.
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