should church fit in with society or?

the following is summarised from and prompted by nick baines' post, and comments on it, about the wrong question

others often struggle with the question of how christianity is struggling for survival in modern society, especially with fewer people attending church.

and often express the idea that the solution is to leave behind the institution of the church.

but this approach seems to ignore a history of which the church should be proud in terms of what it  has already inspired others to in terms of - for example -  art, music or championing the cause of the weak or poor

nor indeed the tremendous contribution the church makes to local communities up and down the land in terms of continued service, facilities, clubs and hours of voluntary work 

all undergirded by a desire to help people connect with the good news that is jesus

do religious people do all citizenish things better than secular people?

according to this article robert putnam, harvard professor of public policy, thinks religious people do citizenish things better than secular people, from giving, to voting, to volunteering. moreover, they offer their money and time to everyone, regardless of whether they belong to their religious group.
he believes the relationship is causal, not just a correlation and it's not to do with belief, but with being part of a community of belief.



he doesn't know what makes faith communities civically exceptional. not even networks of environmentalists, that share interests beyond themselves too, score so well.

putnam thinks that the evidence shows the link between civic engagement and religiosity in the uk is pretty much the same as in the US, notwithstanding that british religiosity is obviously far less pronounced

(sadly what isn't linked to in the article is the source material that leads robert to these conclusions - although the biog link above does say he is currently working on three major empirical projects: (1) the changing role of religion in contemporary America, (2) the effects of workplace practices on family and community life, and (3) practical strategies for civic renewal in the US in the context of immigration and social and ethnic diversity)

found via respublica.org.uk