The Barna Research Group released the results of a nationwide survey last week indicating 40 percent of Christian parents (with children under 18) admitted that they were not being spiritually challenged. George Barna, co-founder of The Barna Group, said the study’s findings are reflective of the rapidly declining spiritual condition found in American culture. “Many of the same people who claim that their faith is very important to them and that they are absolutely committed to Christianity also say that they face no spiritual challenges in life,” he said. “Americans focus on what they consider to be the most important matters; faith maturity is not one of them.” Of the Christian parents who said they do feel challenged on their spiritual journeys, the majority said the two main struggles were developing their children spiritually and personally investing more time in praying and reading their Bible. Other spiritual struggles included the need for more church involvement, exhibiting faith-driven behaviors, coping with sickness, having a deeper faith and dealing with the decline of moral values in the media. Barna encourages church leaders to address these issues by having intimate relationships with church members. “Ministry is most effective when it addresses the specific needs of each person on a one-to-one or few-to-one basis,” Barna said. “The data underscore the importance of people knowing and ministering to each other in a very direct and personal way, recognizing the uniqueness of every person and their journey.”

Evangelist Billy Graham has affected the lives of millions of people across the world. But last Friday he was featured on ABC’s 20/20 for his unique role in the lives of the last 11 U.S. presidents. In addition to the current President George W. Bush, Graham has been personal confidant and friend to former Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman, and to their wives as well. “Each one I've known long before they ever became president, been in their homes many times, always called them by their first names, until they became president,” Graham told 20/20. During the segment, living presidents shared how Graham helped with everything from marriage counseling to war to alcohol addictions. “It was just a conversation,” said President George W. Bush, recalling a discussion with Graham during the 1980s when he told the pastor, “Billy, I’m longing for something,” and Graham gave him a Bible (that the president still has). “All I can tell you is that as a result of being inspired by Billy Graham I started reading the Bible and shortly after, I quit drinking,” said President Bush. The Baptist preacher’s influence over the years didn’t stop with the presidents but extended to the first ladies of the White House as well. Barbra Bush remembers being stunned by her first meeting with Graham because of his “penetrating” eyes. Sen. Hillary Clinton told 20/20 that Graham was her personal counselor during her husband’s impeachment scandal. “[Graham] is one of the people who made a real difference to me personally,” she said, adding that Graham encouraged her to do what was best for her and her marriage despite what the critics said. Although Graham is considered one the most influential preachers in history it was not his celebrity that drew the presidents to him, said former President Bill Clinton. “I doubt that many presidents wanted to be around him because they thought it would help them politically,” he said. “I think they really felt and hoped that by being with Billy Graham, they might have more strength for the work at hand.”

A recent study of young Protestants found that more than two-thirds of young adults who once regularly attended church during high school stopped attending altogether during their crucial decision-making years following high school. Conducted by Lifeway Research, which is affiliated with the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the study found that 70 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds stopped attending church for at least a year as young adults. The two major factors contributing to the decline in their church attendance were life changes and a lack of personal relationships in the church. Although 30 percent of the 70 percent that left the church said they made a conscious decision to leave the church after high school, the majority surveyed attributed their decline to either work responsibilities, moving away from their home church or moving to a college campus. Though the statistics are alarming, Brad Waggoner, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay, said it is within grasp to change the trends. “Relationships are often the glue that keep people in church, or serves as the attraction to begin attending again following a period of absenteeism,” he said. “Many people are deeply influenced by friends and loved ones.” The study found that the majority of 18- to 22-year-olds who remained in church felt that attending church was a vital part of their lives and helped guide their life decisions. They were also found to have strong relational ties to the church. “Clearly the reasons young people leave are a reflection both of their past experience in church and the new opportunities they have as young adults,” said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. “To remain in church, a person must have experienced the value of the teaching and relationships at church and see the relevance for the next phase of life.”

The international effort to free a North Korean Christian man from death row continued in early August with the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) calling all citizens to write letters and send e-mails on Son Jong Nam's behalf to North Korean officials, the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State and their elected officials. VOM, an Oklahoma-based Christian advocacy group for the world’s persecuted Christians, launched an international campaign in July to free a man awaiting execution in a reportedly torturous North Korean prison. Sources at VOM maintain that Son Jong Nam, a former North Korean Army officer turned underground evangelist, is being beaten and tortured for his Christian faith in a bleak prison basement cell in the capital city of Pyongyang. VOM enlisted the high-visibility help of presidential candidate Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, who sent letters signed by four other U.S. senators asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to work for immediate and safe release of the Christian man. “All religions have been harshly repressed in North Korea [and] thousands of Christians have been murdered since the Korean War,” said Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for VOM. “Christians must practice their faith in deep secrecy and are in constant danger.”