May 9, 2022 By Bob Smietana (RNS) — For the last 50 years, abortion has been one of the most contentious issues in American political life, fueling mass protests, political machinations and even the rise of Donald Trump, who promised to deliver Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. But as Roe’s future
April 13, 2022 By Ryan Burge (RNS) — Possibly the most oft-repeated statistic in American religion is the rise of the religiously unaffiliated from just 5% of the population in the early 1970s to about 30% of adults in 2022. In a field where shifts typically move at a glacial pace, that demographic factoid may represent the
August 9, 2021 By Ryan Burge (RNS) — In May, the state of Texas passed a ban on abortions after six weeks of gestation, in practice making almost all abortion procedures illegal in the country’s second-largest state. Additionally, that same piece of legislation empowers private citizens to sue any individual who has aided in someone getting an abortion in
People wander and find their seats as they wait for the SBC annual meeting at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, to begin on June 15, 2021. RNS photo by Kit Doyle By Ryan Burge (RNS) — The Southern Baptist Convention is gathering in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it
March 19, 2021 By Kelsy Burke, Samuel L. Perry Produced in collaboration with the Religion News Service. (RNS) — The details emerging from the Atlanta, Georgia, massacre that left eight people dead are chilling. At present we know that Robert Aaron Long, a white Georgia resident, targeted Asian women working in massage parlors that he frequented. We also
Organized religion may be going to the dogs. A study finds a major divide in worship attendance among owners of outgoing canines and more aloof cats.
Clergy with a mix of members with “red” and “blue” political views in the pews tend to tread lightly when it comes to preaching on controversial topics in sermons. Abortion, fossil fuels, a critique of capitalism, and LGBTQ issues were more often avoided in the pulpit, a new study found.
What happens when you bring together respected social scientists who for many years have gathered significant data on the relationship between science and religion? A humble dialogue offering new pathways to cooperative efforts on issues from evolution and climate change to eradicating disease
Eastern Orthodox churches in the U.S. have several strengths, including awe-inspiring worship, a strong sense of theological identity and a willingness to embrace new technology. But a major new study also found that in an environment that calls on all houses of worship to be more creative in reaching new generations, Eastern Orthodox parishes seem particularly resistant.
There are few people better able to offer perspective on the polarized state of the nation today than Michael Emerson. In an interview, Emerson, one of the foremost sociologists on race, religion and civility in the United States, offers incisive observations on how we got to where we are today, and what we can do to promote a more intellectually humble, respectful national dialogue.
