In this episode of the "Beacons of the gospel" Podcast, I will be discussing what the purpose of "The Church" is and how well churches are presently doing at fulfilling that purpose. I will also be citing some current surveys and studies, which reveal some disturbing trends in the declining numbers of churches and attendance, since the turn of the century. I will then discuss the use of argumentation in the presentation of the gospel when sharing our faith. Finally, we will look at an experiment that illustrates our tendency toward embracing traditions and learned behavior.