Archive for the ‘women’ Category


Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: You would be happier in church on Sunday mornings. That is the finding of one of two new studies on competition for church members’ time presented at the recent annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Religion, Economics and Culture. Another study shows many congregations are finding success offering secular programs such as exercise classes and book discussions alongside religious activities. The common theme: Religious groups cannot stand on the sidelines in the stiffening competition for the time, talents and treasure of potential worshippers.
[Read Full Column...]

Common sense says one size does not fit all in approaches to human relationships. This may be particularly true in the more subjective experiences of the transcendent. Yet whether it is the emotionally charged subject of human sexuality or the culturally charged subject of women in Islam, there is a reluctance to give ground on our own social and political views to allow for different approaches and ways of understanding. Three recent studies provide insights into diverse data on subjects from AIDS education in Africa to teens’ response to Christian music to the reasons U.S. women convert to Islam. Some of the results may surprise you.
[Read Full Column...]























