Tobin Grant
@TobinGrant blogs for Religion News Service at Corner of Church and State, a data-driven conversation on religion and politics. He is a political science professor at Southern Illinois University and associate editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
All Stories by Tobin Grant
Growing divide between ‘practicing Catholics’ and ‘cultural Catholics’ in two graphs
By Tobin Grant — February 10, 2014
Today, there are more Americans who have left the Catholic church than there are Catholics who attend weekly mass.
10 simple ideas on Judaism, human rights, and hope
By Tobin Grant — February 7, 2014
This is the first in a new series of 10 simple (but not simplistic) ideas on religion and politics by religious leaders, political activists, or academics. The one rule: each idea must given in a concise, “tweetable” format. Today’s 10 Simple Ideas features Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, a former co-chair of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for […]
Polls: Americans side with creationism in evolution debate
By Tobin Grant — February 5, 2014
Polls show Americans consistently side with creationism in evolution debate.
Graph: Americans becoming more accepting of homosexuality; less accepting of extramarital relationships
By Tobin Grant — February 3, 2014
Americans' views of sexual ethics has changed dramatically over the past four decades -- but not completely in a liberal direction. Could growing support for same-sex marriage be explained by these changes?
SOTU reactions from religious groups
By Tobin Grant — January 29, 2014
Catholic bingo, Jewish drinking game, and lots of tweets from religious groups on the SOTU.
The Great Decline: 60 years of religion in one graph
By Tobin Grant — January 27, 2014
The decline in religiosity over the past 15 years is twice as great as the decline in 1960s and 1970s.
Mike Huckabee turns ‘libido’ comments into cash
By Tobin Grant — January 24, 2014
Mike Huckabee quickly turned the media firestorm into a fundraiser for his political action committee.
Top 5 unbelievable quotes from Christian radio host Bryan Fischer
By Tobin Grant — January 23, 2014
Bryan Fischer says the darndest things. But how else we know that A&E suspending the Duck Dynasty star was a 'Mark of the Beast' or that gays started the Nazi Party?
Too many evangelicals could be bad for your marriage
By Tobin Grant — January 21, 2014
The conservative Protestant culture that encourages marriage may, ironically, be making divorce more prevalent.
Why political scientists experiment with religion
By Tobin Grant — January 17, 2014
Experiments are not just for the biology lab anymore. They're increasingly the tool of choice for social scientists—including those who study religion and politics.
What happened when a pastor fired a gay choir director? How Raw Story ignored details
By Tobin Grant — January 15, 2014
Can you figure out what's wrong with this picture?
Jewish groups mourn death of Ariel Sharon despite differences over complex legacy
By Tobin Grant — January 13, 2014
Reactions to the news of Sharon's death by Jewish groups in the United States show widespread respect for the former war hero and statesman.
Why authoritarian regimes support religion
By Tobin Grant — January 6, 2014
Depending on how you measure it, the largest Catholic church building in the world isn’t St. Peters in Rome. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest church is Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire (video below). The impressive structure was built and paid for in the 1980s by the country’s authoritarian president […]
Is the winter weather becoming ‘cold as hell’?
By Tobin Grant — January 5, 2014
The record cold weather fits medieval accounts of Hell as a frozen wasteland.
Three things big data tells us about how people use the Bible
By Tobin Grant — January 2, 2014
Popular Bible apps give us a window into how people use technology to read and share the Bible
