During this tense moment in journalism, will Southern Baptist leaders return telephone calls from elite newsrooms or will they choose to speak to “conservative” and “religious” publications, alone?
Read More
Micah Waldman ranks each denomination in four categories after attending a Sunday service: Worship, sermon, hospitality and overall environment. He has no desire to change denominations himself — but instead to experience them himself and educate others about the differences in practice.
Read More
Once an evangelical monolith, claiming influence in 30 countries and 16 churches in the U.S., the Australian-based Hillsong Church has — due to leadership scandals — shrunk considerably. Eleven U.S. churches have left Hillsong, bringing the U.S. total to five. And the global church network just lost a country: Russia.
Read More
“Why not keep busy?” That’s Richard Ostling’s response when asked why he’s still covering religion at age 85 — after six decades on the Godbeat.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) The Maldives, the small South Asian island nation, recently passed a new law to tighten the noose of the media. But this new law also indirectly strengthens the state’s restriction on religious freedom. Under this law, media outlets will be punished if they publish any content that contradicts Islamic principles or that could be seen as offensive to Islamic sentiments.
Read More
(ESSAY) In a world where reporters cover the Vatican more like a political state rather than a religious institution, John occupied a rare space, even rarer these days. The longtime Rome correspondent explained things — both fairly and with plenty of context — to a world largely unfamiliar with how the Vatican works.
Read More
Federal authorities announced arrests after activists disrupted a Minneapolis Southern Baptist church service to protest ICE activities. Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and two others were charged under an 1871 conspiracy statute. Church leaders have condemned the protest, while activists called it a peaceful demonstration.
Read More
“It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking," said Leo.
Read More
(REVIEW) The faith-based film industry is going through major changes. It’s starting to break into the mainstream, with critical and box office success. As a result, there’s a new film genre called “based faith” targeting conservative, Christian male audiences, but if “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” premiere is any indication, this new genre has a rocky road ahead.
Read More
For someone who once appeared on a U.S. black list, Philippa Winkler seems calm, almost proud. Despite the exalted company she keeps, in the eyes of some, this makes her dangerous. The list she ended up on was the notorious S.H.I.T. List (Self-Hating and/or Israel Threatening), maintained by a pro-Israel group.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) Sam Kinison, the famed comedian, is remembered for his intensity, volcanic punchlines and the wild nights that carried him far beyond the boundaries most people never cross. But long before the fame, he lived in a world far more holier. Born into a family of Pentecostal preachers, he grew up where faith was the structure around which life revolved.
Read More
This past Dec. 18, on International Migrants Day, participants in an interfaith prayer group gathered at Winton’s statue with Jewish children. In freezing weather and amid the noise of passing trains, the refugees were remembered by the people who had helped them.
Read More
Catholic affiliation is declining across much of Latin America, while the number of religiously unaffiliated adults is rising sharply, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Despite these shifts, belief in God, prayer and the personal importance of religion remain widespread throughout the region.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) Buckle up, readers, because we’re about to do a deep dive into an important but difficult-to-grasp concept in the social sciences. It’s called age-period-cohort (APC) effects. Let me start by showing you a simple graph.
Read More
El dominio histórico de la Iglesia católica en América Latina continúa debilitándose, incluso cuando la mayoría de las personas en la región sigue siendo profundamente religiosa, según nuevos datos de encuestas del Pew Research Center.
Read More
Nearly 175 worshippers were abducted on Jan. 18 from three churches in Kaduna State in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, Christian advocacy groups reported, after at least 35 were killed in separate attacks on villages in the Middle Belt and eastern Nigeria.
Read More
Leaders of Cities Church condemned protestors who disrupted a St. Paul worship service, calling the conduct unlawful and intimidating. Pastor Jonathan Parnell addressed the incident biblically, urging perseverance. The Department of Justice began investigating, while church leaders affirmed their mission and called on authorities to protect religious freedom rights broadly.
Read More
(REVIEW) Ryan Burge has created the most important and readable book right now to understand religious decline and polarization in the U.S. His message to commit your life to a shared community is one America needs right now. But it will be up to others to create and maintain the compelling shared vision that binds together the community that Burge wants.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) Ironically, 2025 was a turbulent year the world over. After so much military aggression in Ukraine, rampant starvation in Gaza and increasing violence of all kinds within the United States, people in many parts of the world were left much more despairing than hopeful for 2026.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) Let’s start with a question: Have you heard leaders in your congregation discuss any of this information in a setting that will reach active members, as opposed to special events that draw the “usual suspects” in the flock (maybe 10-20% of members) that attend just about everything?
Read More