Archive for the ‘Bible’ Category
Oct 25 2011  |
New research shows a sharp decline in the percentage of U.S.congreations reporting high spiritual vitality and a drop in the number of churches empasizing spiritual practices such as prayer and Scripture reading. These trends conflict with growing evidence showing the importance of congregations cultivating the spiritual lives of the faithful. The reasons for the disconnect arre varied, but it is not because religious leaders can say they don’t know any better.
[Read Full Column...]Aug 12 2011 |
Does higher education lead to a loss of faith? The answer, as indicated in a new study, may be as complex as the American religious landscape. Evangelicals, black Protestants and Catholics appear to become more religious the more steps they climb on the academic ladder, while the religiously unaffiliated are far less likely to pray or hold traditional beliefs as they acquire advanced degrees, according to the study, which analyzed data from the 1972-2006 General Social Survey. Overall, however, “The main contribution of this study is that education does not uniformly decrease religiosity,” the researchers reported.
[Read Full Column...]Jul 30 2011 |
The nation is hovering near financial crisis. More and more Americans are falling into poverty. Universal health care, Social Security and Medicare have become political bargaining chips. But many Americans have decided only the wealthiest of the wealthy bear responsibility for paying higher taxes. Religious groups would seem to be in a strong position to raise ethical questions about individual responsibility for the common good. Yet research indicates that faith groups have a mixed record in getting people to share their wealth and possessions with their neighbors in need.
[Read Full Column...]Jul 5 2011 |
Bible reading matters – just not in the way many commentators on popular culture would predict. A new study, one of the first to examine the social consequences of reading Scripture, reveals the effects of Bible reading appear to transcend conservative-liberal boundaries. Thus, while opposition to same-sex marriage and legalized abortion tends to increase with more time spent with the Bible, so does the number of people who say it is important to actively seek social and economic justice.
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