The storm, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane, left a wide swath of destruction from storm surge, wind, landslides and flooding through Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. There have been at least 121 reported deaths. Churches are sending aid throughout the Southeast as damage and needs are assessed.
Read MoreSpearheading one of a growing number of attempts among evangelicals to empower clergy and laypeople to reframe the political divide, the creators of “The After Party” hope to foster conversations that will not only promote healing but enable those engaged to participate in public life in ways that are constructive, rather than chronically divisive.
Read MoreEntering into the final months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, former President Trump holds a sizable lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among evangelicals. Likely voters with evangelical beliefs are twice as likely to plan to cast their ballot for Trump than Harris (61% to 31%), according to a study from Lifeway Research. Few say they are still undecided (5%) or supporting another candidate (3%).
Read MoreVice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris told an interviewer Tuesday (Sept. 24) that she would be in favor of eliminating the filibuster for votes on abortion-related legislation in the Senate. Harris has made abortion a centerpiece of her campaign, pledging to sign any bill that “restore[s] reproductive freedom nationwide,” according to her website.
Read MoreControversial pastor Mark Driscoll is citing First Amendment rights in his fight against the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, to display a sign to vote for Jesus in property adjacent to his church. The sign reading, “Jesus Christ ’24,” is posted on the right of way property bordering the street in front of Driscoll’s church, Trinity Church in Scottsdale.
Read MoreEight years ago, Lifeway Research asked Protestant pastors who they planned to support in the presidential election and only three percent declined to answer. That number didn't change much in 2020, when four percent declined. But things changed recently, when almost a quarter of the pastors refused to voice their choice in the 2024 White House race.
Read More(ANALYSIS) How Catholic voters view the candidates and issues could nudge margins enough to swing the election, and so could many other factors in such a nail-biter. Though political coverage emphasizes evangelicals, shifts by the two different Catholic segments are usually much more important in general elections.
Read MoreAmerican Jewish groups are publicly blasting former President Donald Trump for his assertion that “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with it” if he loses the election. Trump’s remark, made in a Thursday speech to a Jewish audience in Washington, D.C., aligns with his past expressions of frustration toward American Jews for their tendency to vote for Democrats.
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study found U.S. Protestant pastors are just as likely to say someone connected to their congregation has been personally affected by opioid abuse today as compared to five years ago. They are less likely, however, to report their church is providing spiritual support for those addicted or any type of support group for those dealing with substance abuse.
Read MoreHere’s the big idea in the podcast: Elite newsrooms allowing reporters to live in the heartland offer opportunities for reporters to interact with voices and points of view that they would not have encountered otherwise. In the end, however, a newsroom is only as diverse as the worldviews and source lists found in the work of its editors and superstars.
Read MoreTensions rose in the Ohio city after the Republican presidential ticket spread claims on social media and during the presidential debate that immigrants in Springfield were eating people’s pets. Bomb threats forced the closure of city buildings, schools and hospitals. It also made the city the subject of national and international news for a week or more.
Read MoreAccording 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(ANALYSIS) In the bitterly divided evangelical world, any discussion of these issues — such as a confession signed by A-list evangelical Trump critics, as well as some doctrinal progressives — will automatically be framed by the rhetoric of the former president and his boldest supporters. Decades of rapier thrusts by late-night comedians, newsroom warriors and oppo researchers fade into the past.
Read MoreA new report finds that a majority of Indian American Muslims living in the United States said they have experienced discrimination due to the rise of Hindu nationalism, an ideology that has fostered “an environment of intolerance” in and outside of India. The survey revealed the trend, tying it to the ideology of Hindu nationalism among Indian immigrants.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The nones just aren’t a coherent “thing” like Catholics or evangelicals. They are united by what they are not. They don’t have regular worship services. I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t a dominant worldview among the nonreligious. But now, we can have an unprecedented view into the differences in organized nones versus nones in general.
Read MoreGiving is down among evangelical Christians, according to a new study by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research. The study — called “The Giving Gap: Changes in Evangelical Generosity” — found that 61% of evangelicals say they gave to their church in the last 12 months. That is down 13 percentage points from 2021, when 74% reported giving to their local congregation.
Read MoreLike other Americans, pastors are deciding who they’ll vote for in the November election. Compared to previous elections, however, they’re much more hesitant to share their preference. With 50 days to go before Americans vote, here's a look at what pastors think of the two candidates.
Read MoreA report issued on Tuesday found that religious beliefs aren’t motivated by politics and that a series of “misconceptions” has left Americans polarized. More in Common, a nonpartisan research organization, released the report where more than 6,000 Americans were polled just two months before the presidential election.
Read MoreGeneration Z, the first to grow up with smartphones and tablets, is the most fearful and anxious of any age, the American Bible Society said in its latest release from the 2024 State of the Bible. But regular Bible engagement, a practice that attracts only 11 percent of Gen Z, reduces anxiety by half and can improve other markers of emotional health.
Read MorePope Francis — following his historic 12-day trip to Southeast Asia — chimed in on the upcoming U.S. presidential election, instructing U.S. Catholics to use their “conscience” when voting and to choose the “lesser evil.” The pope’s remarks came days after the very first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
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