A new Barna Group survey measured the type of lifestyles Americans live. Results showed they live one of sacrifice and of self-indulgence. And the story is not that much different for born-again Christians.
Among 20 lifestyle elements, the most common activity Americans engage in over the course of a typical month is recycling some used product or material. The survey showed that 74 percent of Americans have recycled in the past month. Also, nearly half said they have helped a poor or homeless person in their community in some other way than handing them money.
The differences, however, between the self-oriented behavior of born again Christians and that of national norms were small. Although born-again Christians are more likely to volunteer for their church, they are no more likely than average to help the poor or homeless, the survey found. And they are also one of the least likely groups to recycle.
When measured for other moral behaviors, born-again believers are not much different from non-born-again adults. One quarter of born-again believers are less likely to view sexually explicit movies and magazines, to use profanity in public and to buy a lottery ticket compared to roughly one third of non-born-again Christians.
Overall, 28 percent claims to have said mean things to others about someone else when that person was not present; 13 percent admits to having told someone something they knew was not true; and 10 percent of adults say they have gotten even for something someone did to hurt or offend them.
Inappropriate sexual gratification was another self-indulgent behavior measured. The survey found that 28 percent say they have read a magazine or watched a movie or video that contained explicit sexual images in the past month; 10 percent visited a website that showed explicit or uncensored sexual content; and 14 percent say they had an intimate sexual encounter during the past 30 days with someone they were not married to.
Additionally, 16 percent of adults say they have consumed enough alcohol to be intoxicated or considered legally drunk at least once during the last month. Drug use is lower with about 3 percent saying they used illegal, non-prescription drugs.
