George Gallup Jr. has been studying the numbers for a half-century and nobody knows better than he does that they just don't add up.
Most of the familiar, comforting statistics that describe public religion remain remarkably stable from poll to poll. Somewhere around 86 percent of Americans say they believe in God and another 8 percent or so in a ''higher power'' of some kind. Sixty percent say faith is ''very important'' in daily life and another 15 percent say it's ''fairly important.''
But there is another side of this religion equation, said Gallup during a recent address at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary outside Boston.
''Sadly, our society continues to be wracked by domestic problems,'' he said.
''Four in 10 American children go to bed without a father in the home. One-third of teens have been physically abused in the home. One-fourth of all Americans say that drinking is a problem in their home and half of all marriages this year will end in divorce.
''What lies ahead? Will democracy remain viable? ... How can our faith make a difference? How can it sustain us?''
That final leap of logic - linking morality, politics and faith - may seem strange to those who have followed his meticulous work as America's most trusted brand name in public information and the author of 16 books. But Gallup is convinced that most Americans believe that the state of the nation is closely tied to its spiritual health.
Now, the 74-year-old pollster has officially retired. But this doesn't mean Gallup will disappear. As a young man with a religion degree from Princeton University, he considered entering the Episcopal priesthood. No one expects him to questioning the role of faith in American life.
Truth is, Gallup has more questions than answers. But he said that being retired will allow him even more time to discuss the strategies clergy should adopt to help the faithful follow doctrines they claim to believe.
''Someone has to challenge people to be true disciples of Christ,'' he said.