(OPINION) The Hillbilly Thomists are a “musical collective” of Dominicans, most of whom have Bible Belt roots. The band of priests and brothers recently staged a concert in the Grand Ole Opry and over the past decade has recorded three albums of music that would sound at home at Appalachian fairs but not in most church halls.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Are nearly 40% of clergy really about to leave the ministry? It’s a question that has come up regularly in conversations among sociologists of religion since the Barna Group, a research firm that focuses on religion, found last year that 2 in 5 Christian pastors had considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year.
Read More(OPINION) Clergy need – somehow – to find "personal" time, along with face-to-face contact with loved ones. That challenge became more difficult in the age of smartphones, texting and emails. Then came the COVID-19 lockdowns and the pressures on clergy zoomed to a whole new level.
Read More(COMMENTARY) In the current news theory of everything, few numbers in American political life have received more attention than this one – 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016. Politicos have paid less attention to signs that many evangelicals cast those votes with reluctance, and some with a sense of dread.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Theodore McCarrick has become the iconic figure at the heart of the latest round of Catholic clergy sex scandals. Here in America, the key will be whether bishops find ways to hold each other accountable, especially with talk increasing of a federal investigation of cover-ups linked to sexual abuse.
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