9/11

It is a day of solemn and prayerful remembrance of those who lost their lives in the tragic events eight years ago in Manhattan, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania. And we remember, too, their loved ones who have carried on despite the burden of their loss.

Researchers indicated that there was a rise in church attendance and spiritual interest in the weeks following that horrific day. But soon there was a return to patterns in place before 9/11. Though the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the "war on terror" continue in the aftermath of that fateful day, the need to gather for regular prayer and worship appears to find expression only in a comparatively small percentage of the population. Some estimates now suggest that attendance at week-end services has fallen below 20% of the population. This does not mean, obviously, that the majority of people hold no belief in God -- quite the contrary. It does say that many people seem not to be interested in regular participation in church services. They appear not to regard churches as helpful to them in their daily struggles economically, morally, relationally and so on. The church, evidently, is irrelevant to hosts of folks. Is that because the gospel itself no longer makes a difference to people, or because we who are its representatives have short-changed the public in terms of our ambassadorship?