By Brandon Parker
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — A number of Southern Baptist leaders are taking a cautious approach to President Joe Biden’s announcement that businesses with 100 or more employees will soon be required to have all employees be vaccinated or tested weekly. Biden said he is aiming at getting 100 million more people vaccinated, believing the strategy will stop the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the U.S.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reacted to the announcement saying: “We encourage vaccination but oppose mandated vaccination. We are watching the situation closely and fully expect multiple legal challenges to be filed against the President’s announced mandate to private employers.”

Biden’s  frustration toward those who have chosen to avoid the vaccines was evident in his speech as he said, “We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us.”

Mohler said he believed Biden’s “words and attitude were profoundly unhelpful.” [Read more…]

By Aaron Earls
Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources

NASHVILLE — Despite quarantines and social distancing keeping people in their homes during the pandemic, Americans still say they know their neighbors.

Almost 7 in 10 U.S. adults (68 percent) say they trust the people who live in their local community, according to a study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research. Close to a quarter of Americans (23 percent) disagree, and 10 percent say they aren’t sure.

“Trust is the basis of a peaceful society,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “It’s a hopeful sign that amid months of distancing and political unrest more than two-thirds of Americans trust those in their community.” 

Men (72 percent) are more likely than women (63 percent) to say those who live around them are trustworthy. Those 65 and older are most likely to agree (79 percent), while younger adults, aged 18-34, are least likely to agree (59 percent).

Residents of the South (24 percent) are more likely than those in the Midwest (18 percent) to disagree and say they don’t trust the people who live in their community. 

Religious identification and practice also play a role in the likelihood someone is trusting of those in their neighborhood. Protestants (71 percent) and Catholics (69 percent) are more likely to agree than the religiously unaffiliated (60 percent). Americans with evangelical beliefs (76 percent) are also more likely to trust their community than those without evangelical beliefs (66 percent).

Specifically among those who identify as Christian, those who attend church services at least four times a month (17 percent) are less likely than those who attend less than once a month (25 percent) to express doubt about trusting the people who live near them.

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Six in 10 Americans (59 percent) say they know the names of many people who live near them. More than a third (37 percent) disagree, and 4 percent aren’t sure.

Those with a bachelor’s degree or more (65 percent) are more likely than those who have a high school diploma or less (55 percent) to know those in their neighborhood by name. Among religious groups, the unaffiliated are most likely to disagree (44 percent).

Christians who attend church at least monthly (71 percent) are more likely than those who attend less frequently (51 percent) to say they know the names of their neighbors. American adults who hold evangelical beliefs (67 percent) are also more likely than those without such beliefs (57 percent) to say they know the people who live near them by name.

“Remembering the names of people you meet is the first sign that you care about them,” said McConnell. “For Christians, caring can also include praying for those individuals by name and for their relationship with God.” 

Time to Talk

The conversations may have taken place through masks or six feet apart, but most U.S. adults are seeking chances to have a conversation with their neighbors. 

Almost 3 in 5 Americans (57 percent) say they look for opportunities to talk with the people who live around them. Four in 10 disagree (39 percent), and 3 percent aren’t sure.

Again, men (65 percent) are more likely than women (50 percent) to seek out such moments of conversation. Those 65 and older (69 percent) are the age range most likely to agree.

Those with a bachelor’s degree (66 percent) or a graduate degree (64 percent) are more likely than those with a high school diploma or less (51 percent) to look for opportunities to talk with neighbors.

The religiously unaffiliated are the most likely to want to stick to themselves, as 49 percent disagree they are seeking such community conversations.

Christians who attend church at least monthly (71 percent) are more likely than those who attend less frequently (51 percent) to be actively looking to talk to those who live around them. Those with evangelical beliefs (69 percent) are also more likely than those without such beliefs (54 percent) to be actively wanting those times of discussion.

“Those with lower trust and fewer connections in the community are also the groups less likely to want to seek out conversations with others. This is true of the religiously unaffiliated and those with a lower socioeconomic level,” said McConnell.

“Despite a greater interest in talking with neighbors among Christians who frequently attend church, a Lifeway Research study before COVID revealed that these conversations do not always include faith. In fact, 55 percent of Protestant churchgoers had not shared with anyone how to become a Christian in the previous six months.” B&R

By Aaron Earls
Writer, Lifeway Christian Resources

NASHVILLE — After what was a scary year for many, more Americans say they want to avoid fear.

According to a study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, when asked which feeling they seek to avoid the most, 4 in 10 U.S. adults (41 percent) say fear. Far fewer say shame (24 percent) or guilt (22 percent). Around 1 in 10 aren’t sure.

Fear topping the list is a marked change from a 2016 Lifeway Research study that found Americans more evenly divided, but with shame (38 percent) being the emotion people most wanted to avoid, followed by guilt (31 percent) and fear (30 percent).

“For many Americans, circumstances in 2020 led to an increased focus on their fears,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Many feared getting COVID; others feared social unrest during protests; and politicians played on people’s fears in ads and speeches.” [Read more…]

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

ATLANTA — Drug overdose deaths reached an all-time high in the United States in 2020, rising nearly 30 percent to more than 93,000, according to the latest provisional numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Among factors impacting the rising deaths are the isolation and loneliness suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more 611,000 people nationwide, medical experts and addiction recovery ministries such as Celebrate Recovery have said.

Trevor Truitt, a recovered addict and pastor of the Arabi, La., campus of Celebration Church in greater New Orleans, said at least four members of the church’s Celebrate Recovery group died of overdoses in 2020.

“There were a lot of relapses that happened,” he told Baptist Press late last year. “It’s taking a toll on our people.” [Read more…]