Easter Sunday and What it Sadly Reveals About American Culture

Last year, as part of a larger effort, I committed myself to attending church regularly, a promise my grandparents welcomed.  The impetus was to improve personal accountability, and lend shape to my formless religious views.  The ongoing experience has taught me much, but what Easter Sunday revealed gives me cause for concern.  Far from the exception, the behavior displaced that Sunday contributes to why the United States holds the following world rankings:

·      11^th in “working hard";

·      12^th in prosperity;

·      14^th in education and 17^th in education performance;

·       19^th in national satisfaction and

·       24^th in literacy.

(Don’t worry, the United States still leads the world in the following: incarcerations, death by violence, wine consumption and breast augmentation).

Allow me to explain.

Too many “Christians” allow their “faith” to revolve around three days – Christmas, Palm Sunday and Easter – while relegating the remaining days to an afterthought.  For these persons, attendance at three services marks them “good Christians,” the quintessential “check the box” exercise.  Three out of fifty-two – 5%.  No one experiences success with 5% attendance!  Looking more broadly, this behavior is but a sad reflection of a larger societal problem.

Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that an estimated 5 million to 7.5 million American students miss nearly a month of school each year, a phenomenon known as “chronic absenteeism.”   According to the group “Attendance Works” a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the consequences of missed school days are apparent when analyzing student test scores.  Case in point, fourth grade absentee students scored, on average, 12 points lower on reading assessments, and the threat posed by chronic absenteeism only becomes more serious as children age, correlating to higher dropout rates and failure to complete college.  And while there is plenty of blame to go around, the fact remains that society, as a whole, is also at fault.

It is time to rethink the example we are setting, and demonstrate higher levels of commitment.  Visiting the gym for two weeks in January and two weeks in March – to fulfill New Year’s Resolutions and prepare for spring break vacations, respectively – is insufficient.  So is attending church three times a year, “only when it matters.”

Every.  Day.  Matters.