Christian perspectives on news and current events.
The following is a transcription of On the Lord’s Side Podcast presented on GospelBellsRadio on May 7, 2026 by Olufemi Oguntokun. It may not fully match with the audio, but represents a near perfect transcription of the broadcast.
On Church Attendance and Happiness
Good morning to you once again. It is Thursday the 7th of May 2026. The program is On the Lord’s Side — Christian perspectives on news and current events. My name is Olufemi Oguntokun. You can follow me on X at Olufemi OG. You can follow Gospel Bells Radio on X at Gospel Bells Radio.
A new research recently circulating on media platforms in the United States says church attendance predicts happiness more than wealth does. This is quite a fascinating conclusion, and one should go deeper to understand the parameters informing this research. It has gotten many people discussing the role that church attendance plays in one’s well-being.
According to one of the people who circulated the conclusion, the researchers said, “Poor Americans who attend church regularly are happier than wealthy Americans who never go.” If you open the tweets containing this report, you will be fascinated by the many different responses and explanations.
On Cultural Explanations for the Research Findings
Somebody wrote that Robert Putnam found basically the same happiness bump for people who attend any recurring group activity with the same people on a fixed schedule — bowling leagues, volunteer crews, book clubs. The variable is not church; it is repeated face-to-face contact with a stable group.
I agree fully with the value of face-to-face community, but I want to bring out a point. When you hear outcomes of research like this, you should be more fascinated not by the conclusion, but by the explanation the culture gives to it. Is the culture saying there must be something about churches, what churches teach, what churches do, or how the people who go to church behave toward one another?
This first comment rebuts any such explanation. It says do not put too much on this; the emphasis is not on church. The variable is any recurring group activity. Robert David Putnam is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. According to the commenter, his research found that dedication to any recurring group activity with the same set of people on a regular schedule increases happiness.
On the Value of Community and Face-to-Face Interaction
I do not know what you attribute your own happiness to. Do you find happiness in committing to a group activity? Face-to-face group activities are beautiful. Once you find a beautiful community to commit to, people look forward to it. We live in an age where everybody has been trained to think he or she is self-sufficient. Why do I need to step out when I can dial your number or go on social media?
For a while many people were persuaded by that. But the culture is beginning to discover that community helps because we were created to live in community and have face-to-face interaction. Recently the outgoing CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, urged people to reduce their smartphone screen time and increase in-person face-to-face interactions.
On the Unique Joy of Christian Community
What many people agree on is that happiness is not dependent on monetary wealth. That is beyond debate. Even the richest people in the world will agree.
But for us on the Lord’s side, we know it is not just any community. A Christian community where Christ is truly proclaimed, where people truly strive by the power of the Holy Spirit to live in accordance with the intentions of Christ, is the perfect predictor of increasing happiness.
I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. That is one of the Psalms of Ascents. When you find people in the culture equating church with just any community, they miss the point. One of the important components is that you are meeting with other believers. The church is the body of believers.
Thank God for my local church. I look forward to meeting this sister and that brother and that family. Responsible members notice when someone is not in church. You look around and wonder why certain people are not there. Christians are tightly knit together.
On the Bond Stronger Than Blood
In a recent fellowship, when one member returned after traveling for a family event, we rejoiced. He referred to another person as “my blood,” and we bantered that the blood of Christ that binds us is thicker and more valuable than any natural bond. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Those friendships formed through the blood of Jesus are stronger.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. That is what Christian communities should be like. Even when your world is collapsing, you can say, “I am going to church,” because there your heart will be lifted by the love of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
The orphan, the widow, the person with no relative finds everything in a true church community. Countless testimonies show how church members stand staunchly with one another. Relatives ask, “Who are these people to you?” They are my church members. That is the kind of wonder society should have.
On the Gladness That Surpasses Wealth
Church attendance guarantees happiness more than wealth does. Yes, community engagement brings joy, but a community of believers does much more. It goes beyond the joy of having brothers and sisters. What binds us is Christ Himself.
Every time people attend a healthy church, they are invited to look to Christ. They are reminded of their Savior who loves them, who died for them while they were sinners, who intercedes for them, who is coming back, who has promised an end to suffering. They are reminded of the kind, compassionate Shepherd who feeds His flock, carries the lambs in His bosom, and gently leads them.
Go and read Psalm 4 verses 6 to 8. There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. The Lord puts a gladness in the heart of His people that the wealthiest cannot understand.
On Heavenly Joy That Never Cloys
Finally, consider the closing lines of the hymn “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”:
“Savior, if of Zion’s city I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Thy name.
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure, all his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasures none but Zion’s children know.”
And from “Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us”: the Spirit of our God descending fills our hearts with heavenly joy, love with every passion, pleasure that can never cloy.
Cloy means to cause weariness or disgust by excess of something originally pleasant. Earthly pleasures cloy; they follow the law of diminishing returns. But heavenly joy and pleasures never cloy. For those in the fold of Christ, when thus provided for, pardoned, and guided, nothing can their peace destroy.
I pray that you will continue on the Lord’s side, remain an active member of a Christian community, play your role in causing others to feel the love of Christ, and that the Lord’s Spirit will fill your heart with heavenly joy. Nothing will destroy your peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
On the Sultan of Sokoto’s Statement
Finally today, I want to engage very quickly with this story. The Sultan of Sokoto, regarded as the de facto leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria, said, “Muslims are not planning anything like decimating the population of Christians in Nigeria.”
He made the remarks during the first tri-annual meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja. He dismissed fears of a religious agenda against Christians, insisting Muslims are not seeking to eliminate them. He said many violent incidents are wrongly framed as religious conflict.
He added, “We are not in a hurry. We are not planning anything like that. It is not possible. Let us get the narrative right. It is not about religion. Let us stop bringing religion into it. Let us call them what they are: criminals, non-Muslim criminals, non-Muslim terrorists, non-Muslim bandits. Even if someone claims to be Muslim, what they do goes against Islam.”
We appreciate the condemnation, but we would want more. Every time churches are destroyed, come out clearly and help expose the perpetrators. The evidence of our eyes shows that Christians are being killed in many parts of Nigeria, often in the name of Islam. We take this statement with a pinch of salt.
On Prayer for Persecuted Christians
This gives no comfort until the Sultan and Muslim leaders join hands with the government to expose these criminals and demand justice. We want to see you as angry and disturbed as we are. We want to see commitment to justice.
Just yesterday we engaged with the video of the funeral of an Ekwu pastor where the choir sang even while weeping. That is one incident out of thousands. Our daily reminder is to remember our brothers and sisters on the frontline. Their faith will not falter. The grace of God will bear them up. His comfort will reach those who mourn. The Lord will hasten the day when these criminals are brought to justice.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I want to thank you most sincerely for staying with us this morning on Gospel Bells Radio for On the Lord’s Side — Christian perspectives on news and current events. I hope to be with you again tomorrow by the grace of God. Whatever you do today, please remain firmly on the Lord’s side. God bless you.
You are listening to GospelBellsRadio.com, the Christian internet radio with a mission to engage the culture with the mind of Christ. Keep listening and invite others too. God bless you.
