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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
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May/June 2004 |
Study finds fewer Americans tithing income
Fewer Americans are giving ten percent of their incomes to their churches-or tithing-a new study by the Barna Research Group has found. The number of United States households that tithe has dropped by more than 60 percent, from eight percent in 2001 to just three percent in 2002, reported the Barna Group, which specializes in religious research.
Among self-identified born-again American adults, 12 percent said they tithed in 2000; 14 percent did so in 2001; but only six percent did so in 2002. No Catholics, for whom full tithing is not part of their religious culture, reported tithing in 2002.
Researcher George Barna said various factors explain the trend: economic concerns; worries about terrorism; the erosion of trust in religious leaders overall in the wake of the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal; and the gradual disappearance of a generation for whom tithing was "a habit."
From Faith and Values Media Light Newsletter
Last updated on May 18, 2004