Methodism's 'approval rating'

To mark Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the U.S., Gallup just posted results of a poll on Americans' views of "religious and spiritual groups." And there's good news: Methodists rank at the top, based on phone interviews with 1,005 randomly selected adults.

Make of it whatever you will. Are we Methodists more liked than others because we strive for an “extreme center” that celebrates both evangelism and social holiness? Or are we merely inoffensive to most folks?

As Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones says, there seems to be a lot of ambivalence out there -- all groups drawing substantial neutral ratings, whether they're Methodist, Baptist, Catholic or atheist. And all have declined in public favor at least a little since a previous survey in August 2006.

Personally, I'd be curious to see where we stand after two weeks of mass-media coverage at General Conference. The pessimist in me shudders at the thought. . . .