Finding Faith Today

by Bryan P. Stone

Overview

How do persons come to faith in our time? Are they active seekers or brought in by others? Is it a journey? Or is it a more sudden conversion? Are spouses, relatives, and friends most important to the process? Do clergy matter? What sorts of values, practices, and lifestyles tend to change for those who newly come to faith? What are the differences among the various religious traditions in how one comes to faith? This book presents the findings of a multi-year study on how people come to faith in the US context. It involves about 1,800 persons who recently made a new profession of faith or some other public commitment across various religious traditions in the US. An initial study was conducted twenty-five years ago on Christian populations in England by Bishop John Finney, but surprisingly little research has been done since then. Finding Faith Today is an expansion and follow-up of that study. The book sheds new light on how people come to faith and what sort of spiritual, practical, and social changes accompany that. The book will be a help to those seeking to open up their communities of faith to others with hospitality and integrity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532651489
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	10/31/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	246
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Bryan Stone is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Boston University School of Theology. Among his published titles are: Evangelism After Pluralism (2018), A Reader in Ecclesiology (2012), Evangelism After Christendom (2006), and Faith and Film (2000).

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Christians 1

2 Christians: Setting Out on the Journey 7

3 Christians: The Journey 22

4 Christians: Factors Leading to Faith 48

5 Christians: Is There a Change? 92

6 Judaism 112

7 Buddhism 142

8 Islam 170

9 Unitarian Universalists and Quakers 186

Excursus on Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism 208

10 Concluding Observations 212

Appendix A Christian Representation in the Survey 217

Appendix B Factors in Coming to Faith by Tradition 219

Appendix C Changes in Attitudes and Positions on Social Issues 222

Appendix D Most Important Feature of the Congregation 226

Appendix E Active Seekers or Drawn in by Others Without Actively Seeking? 228

Appendix F Significance of Changes 230

Bibliography 233

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book offers a paradigm shift! In a culture awash with statistical trends about religious adherence and programming meant to attract people to faith, Stone's wide-ranging, thoughtful, and careful research provides a human face to the statistics. He shows us that most people find God in authentic relationships and communities. As people of faith we are freed from the business and celebrity often connected with faith-recruitment to welcome, befriend, and share our lives with others.”

—Mark R. Teasdale, Associate Professor of Evangelism, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary



"A fascinating study of how people actually come to embrace a faith, religion, or spiritual community. Christians will find this conversation is especially important as many discussions are based on speculation and opinion. Stone's study will prove vital to a variety of religious communities as they seek to discover the most important influences on initial spiritual formation."

—Rev. Dr. Jack Jackson, E. Stanley Jones Associate Professor of Evangelism, Mission, and Global Methodism, Claremont School of Theology



“This demographic study of people coming to faith (multiple varieties) is a fascinating window into the religious soul of North America, and there is not a better guide than Bryan Stone to lead us across this variegated faith landscape…This is an important book for people of all religious faiths, but it is especially instructive for Christians of an evangelical persuasion, for it is we who are most often deeply intrigued by questions about how people come to faith, and how we can do a better job of leading people to a fresh faith commitment.”

—W. Stephen Gunter, Research Professor Emeritus, Duke Divinity School

Editorial Reviews

This book offers a paradigm shift! In a culture awash with statistical trends about religious adherence and programming meant to attract people to faith, Stone's wide-ranging, thoughtful, and careful research provides a human face to the statistics. He shows us that most people find God in authentic relationships and communities. As people of faith we are freed from the business and celebrity often connected with faith-recruitment to welcome, befriend, and share our lives with others.”

—Mark R. Teasdale, Associate Professor of Evangelism, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary



"A fascinating study of how people actually come to embrace a faith, religion, or spiritual community. Christians will find this conversation is especially important as many discussions are based on speculation and opinion. Stone's study will prove vital to a variety of religious communities as they seek to discover the most important influences on initial spiritual formation."

—Rev. Dr. Jack Jackson, E. Stanley Jones Associate Professor of Evangelism, Mission, and Global Methodism, Claremont School of Theology



“This demographic study of people coming to faith (multiple varieties) is a fascinating window into the religious soul of North America, and there is not a better guide than Bryan Stone to lead us across this variegated faith landscape…This is an important book for people of all religious faiths, but it is especially instructive for Christians of an evangelical persuasion, for it is we who are most often deeply intrigued by questions about how people come to faith, and how we can do a better job of leading people to a fresh faith commitment.”

—W. Stephen Gunter, Research Professor Emeritus, Duke Divinity School

From the Publisher