" If you were asked what the most churchgoing age in America was, what would you say? Would you guess the 1950s? Sometime in the 1800s? The colonial times? The answer will surprise you. Professor Rodney Stark, whom we heard from earlier, explains that in 1776, only 17 percent of Americans attended a local church. These were the days when the church steeple was the central landmark of most cities. By 1850, that number mushroomed to 34 percent of Americans, and in 1906, 51 percent attended church. Today, around 69 percent of Americans attend a local church. "