TUPELO, Miss. — A line from a 55-year-old pop song says “one is the loneliest number,” and a new study reveals that single church-going 30-somethings may be the loneliest among the faithful. The researchers concluded that Christianity in the United States is falling into ruin as a direct result of two trends: the disintegration of marriage in the modern world, and fathers vanishing from the home. The survey was based on the results of 19,000 Sunday church attendees at 112 Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in 13 states.

The American Family Association (AFA, www.AFA.net) Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano said the church must improve on serving singles, but that includes intentionally and vocally rejecting the culture’s lies about the evils of marriage and not winking at singles pursuing sexual relationships outside of marriage.

“As an institution, marriage is critical to the survival and prosperity of a nation, and it is the backbone of a healthy church,” Vitagliano said. “But as this study shows, it is also an important driver of human happiness. Of course, singleness can be a blessing too, especially for the Christian who desires to serve the Lord in an unhindered fashion. For such single young people, the church must do a better job providing opportunities for fellowship. However, if Christians are choosing singleness because they’ve bought the lies of a culture that disdains the marital union in favor of cohabitation and fornication, they will soon discover that empty lies produce misery –– including loneliness.”

For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission.  Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America’s culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 110,000 subscribers to The Stand (formerly known as the AFA Journal), the ministry’s monthly magazine.  Find AFA Action Alerts here.  In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner. 

View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.       

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To interview an AFA spokesperson, contact [email protected], Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.  