Posts tagged Protestant
Small Groups Remain Key Aspect of Churches’ Discipleship Ministry

According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant churches with ongoing adult Bible study groups, 56 percent say the label “Sunday School” describes at least part of their groups ministry. Almost three in four (72 percent) say they are comfortable with others referring to their groups as adult Bible studies.

Read More
Is It Time To Rename The Southern Baptist Convention?

(OPINION) With all that’s going on in The Southern Baptist Convention, one matter is being ignored. But given the current squabbles and embarrassments, this would seem a good time for the denomination to rebrand itself with a new name. For starters, the “Southern” monicker is no longer accurate. Then there’s unfortunate history to overcome in which the name is enmeshed with slavery.

Read More
The Religious Connections to Halloween’s Scariest Monsters

The annual celebration of Halloween is marked by fun and frightening traditions, those that involve monsters being the most fun and frightening of them all. These representations of evil are inextricably linked with religion, used to condemn evil, find comfort in suffering and much more. 

Read More
Comparing The Rise Of The Religious ‘Nons’ To The Nones, NIPs And Nonverts

(OPINION) A blockbuster in the November U.S. Religion Census report said that, taken together, nondenominational Protestants number 21 million and are unquestionably the largest U.S. Protestant group, exceeding by millions the largest denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, and second only to Catholics.

Read More
There’s No One ‘Latino Vote’: Religion And Geography Add To Voter Diversity

(ANALYSIS) Nearly 1 in 5 people in the United States today are Latino, and “the Latino vote” has attracted significant news coverage as their political voice grows stronger. But the U.S. Latino population is extremely diverse. As scholars who study immigration in the fields of sociology and religious ethics, we are especially interested in the growing religious diversity and often overlooked geographical diversity among Latino populations.

Read More
A Turning Point In The Repression Of Evangelicals In Cuba

On July 11, 2021, in Cuba, thousands of people of all kinds took to the streets in the greatest display of the power of civil society ever seen in this totalitarian country. Since then, a persecution has been unleashed against some pastors that has contributed to an increasing number of religious leaders and churches questioning speaking out.

Read More
Any kind of turnaround for 'Mainline' Protestantism would be big news, but is it true?

(OPINION) Recent polls show that mainline Protestantism is surpassing evangelicals in the United States. However, this piece explores the complexities of this data, and the ways in which important aspects are often overlooked.

Read More
Do These Issues Matter? Trump Utters Religious Slur While Harris Underlines Biden's Catholic Questions

(OPINION) The campaigns leading up to the 2020 election are fraught with religious issues. Many—including President Trump—have criticized Joe Biden’s Catholicism. Journalists should look to Catholics for predictions of election outcomes.

Read More
Turkey is moving toward a neo-Ottoman regime with calls to convert Hagia Sophia

(OPINION) With Turkey President Erdoğan’s AKP party having suffered losses in municipal elections, his response to these drawbacks has been to emphasize his Sunni-Islamic credentials and to link these to the restoration of the splendors of the Ottoman Empire. One aspect of this propaganda effort has been to threaten the status of Hagia Sophia.

Read More
After SCOTUS ruling, some major faith groups still face LGBTQ battles

(OPINION) In a closely watched case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gay and transgender employees are now included under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars job discrimination based upon “sex.” Yet three divided Protestant denominations have showdowns ahead, all postponed to next year due to the pandemic.

Read More
The story behind the Nativity creche at New York’s Met Museum

The museum’s famed nativity creche, currently on display through January 6, features the baby Jesus with a radiant halo surrounded by figures that range in size from 12 to 15 inches in height.

Read More
A major survey of young American Protestants provides clues about the future

(OPINION) There will be significant decline in traditional affiliations, but not disintegration. Perhaps more interesting is an evolving perception of God.

Read More
Is there really a truce in the bitter Protestant 'worship wars'?

(OPINION) Tensions over worship styles seem to be easing. Congregations may have settled on contemporary pop rock or traditional hymns, but genres — and attitudes — are evolving as they merge.

Read More
Is faith hip now? 'Devotion' photo exhibit shows religion's rosy side

(REVIEW) Christopher Roche’s photography exhibition in London is a collection on religious devotion around the world.

Read More
The Life And Death of Peru's Alan Garcia Perez

The suicide of former Peruvian President Alan García Pérez marks an unprecedented event in the country’s political history. García shot himself inside of his home when police arrived to arrest him for reports that he was the recipient of bribes in a corruption case known as “Lavajato.”

Read More
New Frederick Douglass biography makes the abolitionist a prime Black History Month feature

(COMMENTARY) A new biography on the famous African-American abolitionist explores his public and private life, including his Protestant (and anti-Catholic) faith.

Read More
Remember the Church Page? RNS story on churches aiding South Sudanese refugees will take you back

(COMMENTARY) The Republic of South Sudan is one of the world’s misery portals. Since its independence in 2011, it has known little else but war, poverty, hunger and political infighting among its power elites. South Sudan sought to secede from its northern neighbor, Sudan, in large part over religion. A newly brokered power-sharing agreement could change things for the better. However, those in the international media paying close attention to South Sudan note that we’ve been here before. 

Read More