church decline
Thousands of churches will likely close down. What happens to all that real estate?
By Bob Smietana — March 15, 2024
(RNS) — A new book called 'Gone for Good' looks at the ways that churches could be reused for the public good in the future.
America’s nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon
By Peter Smith — October 9, 2023
(AP) — The decades-long rise of the nones — a diverse, hard-to-summarize group — is one of the most talked about phenomena in U.S. religion.
Not religious, not voting? The ‘nones’ are a powerful force in politics – but not yet a coalition
By Evan Stewart — September 19, 2023
(The Conversation) — Nonreligious voters are poised to make an impact, but sweeping statements about the ‘nones’ don’t tell the full story.
Why America’s secularization is good for American democracy
By Phil Zuckerman — August 2, 2023
(RNS) — Belief has benefits for society. But American religion’s decline may nonetheless save the country.
What’s lost when religion becomes a ‘luxury good’
By Jacob Lupfer — July 28, 2023
(RNS) — The church has failed when only the prosperous feel welcome.
Southern Baptists rid themselves of women pastors, their latest self-inflicted wound
By Jonathan Merritt — June 15, 2023
(RNS) — The fundamentalists have won yet again, but theirs is a Pyrrhic victory.
The last Christian king?
By Jacob Lupfer — May 5, 2023
(RNS) — How inclusive can something be and still be considered Christian?
3 big numbers that tell the story of secularization in America
By Phil Zuckerman — March 8, 2023
(The Conversation) — Secularization has fascinated sociologists for 200 years – but that doesn’t mean they always agree on what it is, or how much it’s happening.
For a small Chicago church, closing down was an act of faith
By Bob Smietana — August 30, 2022
(RNS) — There is no way to resurrection without experiencing death, the Rev. Amanda Olson told her congregation on Sunday. Her church, Grace Covenant Church in Chicago, closed this week.
How America’s youth lost its religion in 1990s
By Ryan Burge — April 13, 2022
(RNS) — We are living in the aftermath of one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in American history.
Baseball, like religion, can teach us something about enchantment
By Jacob Lupfer — April 6, 2022
(RNS) — As MLB’s delayed season begins, we're reminded that truth, beauty and enchantment matter.
Evangelical Christians looking for renewal should look to the margins
By Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt — February 18, 2022
(RNS) — The crisis of church and synagogue is not a crisis of faith, so much as a crisis of purpose.
US Catholic clergy shortage eased by recruits from Africa
By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu — December 27, 2021
(AP) — As fewer American-born men and women enter seminaries and convents, U.S. dioceses and Catholic institutions have turned to international recruitment to fill their vacancies.
‘Go in peace’: Pennsylvania church founded in 1800 holds last service
By Associated Press — December 27, 2021
BELLEFONTE, Pennsylvania (AP) —The First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, which is nearly as old as the borough itself, held the final scheduled service on Christmas Eve.
Across US, houses of worship struggle to rebuild attendance
By David Crary — December 20, 2021
(AP) — When Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month halt due to COVID-19, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up.
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