America\u2019s churches are in trouble, and they are in trouble in communities that arguably need them the most.<\/p>\n
One of the tragic tales told by Harvard scholar Robert Putnam in his important new book, \u201cOur Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,\u201d\u009d is that America\u2019s churches have grown weakest in some of the communities that need them most: poor and working-class communities across the country. The way he puts it, our nation\u2019s churches, synagogues and mosques give children a sense of meaning, belonging and purpose \u201d\u201d in a word, hope \u201d\u201d that allows them to steer clear of trouble, from drugs to delinquency, and toward a bright and better future, warmer family relationships and significantly higher odds of attending college.<\/p>\n
The tragedy is that even though religious involvement \u201cmakes a bigger difference in the lives of poor kids than rich kids,\u201d\u009d Putnam writes, involvement is dropping off fastest among children from the least privileged background, as the figure below indicates.<\/p>\n