{"id":32908,"date":"2022-09-10T16:27:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/americans-prefer-to-talk-about-politics-rather-than-god\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:27:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:27:55","slug":"americans-prefer-to-talk-about-politics-rather-than-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/americans-prefer-to-talk-about-politics-rather-than-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Prefer to Talk About Politics Rather Than God"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Bob Smietana<\/em><\/p>\n

NASHVILLE, Tenn.\u2014Politics trumps God for most Americans when it comes to conversations with their friends.<\/p>\n

Six in 10 Americans are more comfortable talking about politics than their spiritual beliefs. And most say they aren\u2019t interested in having more spiritual conversations.<\/p>\n

By contrast, evangelical Christians prefer talking about God over politics by a 2-to-1 margin.<\/p>\n

Those are among the findings of an online survey of 1,004 Americans about their views on spirituality and politics from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.<\/p>\n

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Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said Americans like to talk about both politics and religion, which are sometimes considered off limits in polite conversation. But they often prefer one to the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tend to discuss the things that matter most to them,\u201d he said. \u201cFor evangelicals, that is their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the survey, researchers compared how often Americans talk to others about politics to the number of times they talk about spirituality.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) say they had at least three conversations about politics in the last month. Eight percent had no conversations about politics.<\/p>\n

By contrast, fewer than half (44 percent) had three or more spiritual conversations in the same time frame. Twenty-two percent had no conversations about spirituality.<\/p>\n

Overall, 6 in 10 Americans (59 percent) say they\u2019re more comfortable discussing their political views than their spiritual beliefs. But there are distinctions among certain groups.<\/p>\n

Women (51 percent), those who go to church at least once a week (57 percent), and those with evangelical beliefs (63 percent) prefer to talk about their spiritual views. Men (69 percent) and those who don\u2019t have evangelical beliefs (65 percent) prefer to talk about politics.<\/p>\n

Most Americans also say they have about as many conversations about spirituality as they can handle.<\/p>\n

About half (51 percent) say they have \u201cjust the right amount\u201d of discussions on spiritual beliefs. A quarter (23 percent) want fewer spiritual discussions. Only 1 in 5 wants more. Six percent aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Hispanics (38 percent), those 18 to 35 (35 percent), and those who live in the West \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad(30 percent) are more likely to say they have spiritual conversations \u201cmore often than I would like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those with evangelical beliefs (32 percent), those 55 and over (26 percent), and those in the South (24 percent) are more likely to say they have such conversations \u201cless often than I would like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Churchgoers are split. Three in 10 (29 percent) of those who attend at least once a week say they want fewer spiritual conversations. One in 4 (26 percent) wants more spiritual conversations.<\/p>\n

Still, many Americans are open to hearing what other people think about faith. About half (52 percent) believe they have as much to find out as they do to share during a spiritual conversation. A quarter (26 percent) say they have more to find out. A similar number (22 percent) think they have more to share.<\/p>\n

Evangelicals are more likely to believe they have more to share (32 percent) in a spiritual conversation. They\u2019re less likely to say they have more to find out (17 percent). Frequent churchgoers also believe they have more to share (33 percent).<\/p>\n

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Those findings don\u2019t surprise McConnell. Sharing one\u2019s faith in order to convert others is a core evangelical conviction.<\/p>\n

Still, he said, those with evangelical beliefs may need to listen more during a spiritual conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t care what your neighbors believe, chances are they won\u2019t listen to what you have to say,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Philip Nation agrees. Nation helps manage Bible Studies for Life<\/em>, which sponsored the survey.<\/p>\n

Evangelicals who want to share their faith may need to listen first, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe culture wants dialogue about spiritual beliefs,\u201d said Nation, director of content development for Lifeway Christian Resources. \u201cEvangelicals too often only want to lecture our neighbors. We need to learn the needs and worldview of our neighbors so we can effectively discuss the gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among other findings:<\/p>\n