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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

Community and Connection: The Impact of Bowling Alone and Worshipping Alone on Society

Community and Connection: The Impact of Bowling Alone and Worshipping Alone on Society

Most of us are going it alone.

Participation in society has plummeted.

We have become slaves to our technology.

How many people talk to you while looking at their smartphones?

Attendance in all things social continues to decline including and especially the church.

What can we do to turn this around? Maybe we should just put down our phones, turn off the TV and join a church, or club!


‘Believing Alone’ Is a Spiritual—Not Just Civic—Problem

"Nearly 25 years after its publication, Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone continues to be a defining text in 21st-century life. So much so that a new documentary film, Join or Die (screening nationwide on September 15 as part of a new series, In Real Life Movie Club), aims to re-up the book’s arguments for a new generation of readers. The book’s thesis is more urgent than ever and the stakes higher (as the documentary’s title suggests).


The correlated trends Putnam flagged—declining civic community and organizational membership and declining public trust—have only gotten worse. The internet and social media are a big part of why these trends have worsened (more on that later), and the deep entrenchment of digital formation makes it all the harder to reverse course.


Directed by Rebecca Davis and Pete Davis (author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing), Join or Die begins by describing itself as “a film about why you should join a club . . . and why the fate of America depends on it.” It presents data on the decades-long decline in associations, both formal (PTA, Kiwanis, Lions Clubs, bowling leagues, church membership, etc.) and informal (dinner parties, picnics, etc.). The documentary summarizes Putnam’s big idea that social networks have value—what he calls “social capital”—and that this is what clubs and similar associations provide. Social capital produces trust and a norm of generalized reciprocity, and it’s an essential ingredient for a healthy democracy.


An impressive array of bipartisan talking head commentary is included (e.g., David Brooks, Glenn Loury, Mike Lee, Pete Buttigieg, and Hillary Clinton), testifying to the broad influence and relevance of Putnam’s ideas. But the film’s implications go beyond politics and have huge relevance for the church. Because while “bowling alone” might have dire temporal implications for the waxing and waning of democracy, the spiritual corollary—“believing alone”—has eternal implications.


Believing Alone: ‘My Own Little Thing with the Lord’

Join or Die mentions declining church membership as a big part of the overall problem, as churches have long been vital venues for cultivating civic life. As Putnam’s Bowling Alone research assistant puts it in the film, “Religion provides at least half of the social capital in the United States.”


The film observes that the things you learn to do at church—run a meeting, give a speech, organize people to solve community problems—are transferable skills to other civic groups. As the vitality of church communities wanes, the ripple effects are felt throughout civic life..." from the article: ‘Believing Alone’ Is a Spiritual—Not Just Civic—Problem



Join or Die — Trailer (2023)


"Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America may depend on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking "Bowling Alone" research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly…What can we do about it? Follow along at: JoinOrDie.film " from the video introduction



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