The Southern Baptist Convention conducted its annual meeting in Indianapolis this week. The denomination’s sex abuse scandal — while perhaps overshadowed by a vote on women pastors and a resolution opposing in vitro fertilization — remained a key topic of discussion.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In religion, what goes down can always come up again. American religions continue to face persistent skepticism from elite culture, education and entertainment along with long-term internal damage from sexual abuse scandals and disputes over sexual morality and Trumpism that are not disappearing. Also, stated identity in polls does not make up for sagging in-person attendance and donations that erode organized religion.
Read MoreJason and Jennifer Carroll pray for Haiti as the poor, developing nation deals with unrelenting gang violence. Two American missionaries and a Haitian national were killed in an ambush last week.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, I worked as a Dallas-based religion reporter for The Associated Press. Many of the stories that dominated the headlines then remain relevant today.
Read MoreJelly Roll is on a roll. The “Son of a Sinner” artist — whose songs feature raw, religious lyrics that wrestle with his troubled past — won another big award on Thursday night.
Read MoreA new, 400-page biography of 10-time All-Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw delves into his baseball success, his family life and, yes, his faith.
Read MoreWhen a monster tornado struck a small Oklahoma town, numerous businesses and houses were destroyed. But a church’s stained-glass windows escaped with just minor damage.
Read MoreIt’s time for a reboot. This edition of Weekend Plug-in marks the launch of something new.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in tackles five questions related to the United Methodist Church’s long-awaited General Conference, which starts next week in Charlotte, North Carolina. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreIt was the must-read article of the week, especially for anyone interested in how cultural, moral, political and, yes, religious issues are covered in one of America’s most influential newsrooms.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways when attempting to define and measure Christian nationalism. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In the late 1970s, researchers began asking why journalists often struggle when covering religion stories or avoid religious news altogether. I wrote my 1982 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate project on this topic, and some of that work was published by Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. This week marks the start of my 36th year writing this “On Religion” column.
Read MoreTry to imagine an America in which families that have, for generations, urged their children to serve in the armed services stopped doing precisely that. Here is a question about the religion data in that equation: Can Episcopal and liberal mainline Protestant churches in the Northeast produce as many future soldiers as Baptists, Pentecostals and nondenominational evangelicals in the Bible Belt?
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in focuses on the religious significance of Monday’s total solar eclipse. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights four takeaways from a new national survey on religion in public life. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Adelle M. Banks’ selection as the Religion News Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in delves into reports the U.S. Justice Department has ended its investigation of Southern Baptist sex abuse. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religious debate stirred by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights Donald Trump’s remarks to the National Religious Broadcasters’ convention in Nashville, Tenn. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways from the shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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