The authors give hard evidence to back up there opening statement about the need for healing today. They shared the following statistics from pages 4-7 "Caring for People God’s Way":
Marital Discord: Studies show 35% of persons who marry get a divorce, and 18% of those divorced are divorced multiple times. It is estimated that the divorce rate among young people is between 40-50% of marriages and those who get married this year will experience this unless there is a wave of healing for marriages.
Fatherlessness: Each night , nearly 40% of children fall asleep in homes where their fathers are not present.
Sexual Abuse and Assault: The present evidence of widespread sexual abuse is daunting. By age 18, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by someone they love or should be able to trust.
Domestic Violence: Violence at the hand of an intimate partner occurs across all populations, irrespective of economic, religious, social, or cultural affiliation-and accounts for 20% of all nonfatal violent crime against women.
Suicide: A suicide occurs approximately every 20 minutes in the United States. According to a 2004 study, over 30,000 U.S residents commit suicide each year, and over 130,000 are hospitalized following a suicide attempt.
Alcoholism: In the year 2000 there were approximately 85,000 deaths in the U.S. attributable to either excessive or hazardous drinking –making alcohol the third leading cause of death.
Substance abuse: The results of a 2003 poll show that 8.2 % of persons 12 and older have used illicit drugs in the last month.
Depression: An estimated 20% of the U.S. population will experience clinical depression at some point in their lifetime…according to recent studies, depression appears to be on the rise-those born after 1950 are 10 times as likely to experience depression as compared to their predecessors. Currently, individuals between ages 25-45 occupy the greatest percentage of depression, though adolescent groups possess the fastest rate of depression growth.
Anxiety: Maladaptive anxiety has become a common plague that affects approximately 19 million U.S. adults or up to 25% of the general population-and is distinct in that it progresses to consume one with overwhelming irrational fear, panic and dread.