Geography
Area: 9,529,063 sq km
The world’s third largest nation in area and population.
Population: 317,641,087 Annual Growth: 0.97%
Capital: Washington DC
Urbanites: 82%
HDI Rank: 13 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 364 (16% unreached)
Official language: English. The growing Spanish-speaking Hispanic population is 11.2% of the population and numbers 34 million Languages: 176
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 246,553,012 | 77.62 | 0.5 |
| Evangelicals | 91,764,554 | 28.9 | 0.8 |
Answer to Prayer
Give praise for the emergence of new expressions of Christian and evangelical faith that take seriously both spirituality and holistic ministry and that are based on authentic practice of faith, worship and engagement of the community. They tend to possess a greater commitment to social action and justice. They are not defined by political partisanship or denominational barriers. There are growing pains, but these movements offer a fresh new take on Christian life in a culture that needs such authenticity.
Challenge for Prayer
America’s massive cultural and social influence makes it the world’s greatest force for good and its greatest purveyor of sin. The generosity of aid and development, the defence of human rights and opposition to tyranny, the many breakthroughs in technology and media, the great levellers of education, information and capitalism have all made the world a better place. These are in contrast to the insensitive cultural imperialism, selfish individualism, unbridled corporate greed and exportation of immorality (such as pornography, casual violence and shallow materialism) that are foisted upon the world. America’s appetite for illicit drugs and massive consumption of fossil fuels cause wars abroad, prop up corrupt regimes and inflict suffering on indigenous peoples of other lands. Pray that God might shape this nation to be a greater force for good and destroy the structures of sin that pollute much of the world.
