Pew Research Center
Nonreligious voters present a puzzle for political parties (ANALYSIS)
By Lauren Markoe — November 5, 2015
(RNS) It's a significant change in American politics, where nonbelief has long been a liability.
Pew study: More Americans reject religion, but believers firm in faith
By Lauren Markoe — November 3, 2015
(RNS) Americans as a whole are growing less religious, but those who still consider themselves to belong to a religion are, on average, just as committed to their faiths as they were in the past.
Do science and religion conflict? It’s all in how you ‘see’ it
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — October 22, 2015
(RNS) Most say there's a clash of worldviews "in general" but only 30 percent say so when asked if their own beliefs conflict with science.
Twitter, Facebook take back seat in papal visit
By Kimberly Winston — October 7, 2015
(RNS) Journalists covering the pope's U.S. trip relied more on face-to-face encounters with sources than they have in the past.
Pope Francis’ visit boosted the church. The pope himself? Not so much
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — October 7, 2015
(RNS) A new survey shows the popular pontiff's tour didn't give his own favorability ratings more than a "modest bounce," but he did improve many Americans' view of the Catholic Church.
Author Phyllis Tickle dies at 81 – a profile
By David Gibson — September 22, 2015
LUCY, Tenn. (RNS) After learning of her Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis last spring, the renowned spirituality author said: “Am I grateful for this? Not exactly. But I’m not unhappy about it. And that’s very difficult for people to understand.”
Hola, Papa Francisco! Hispanic Catholics shape US church
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — September 21, 2015
(RNS) The church in the U.S. is more than a third Hispanic -- a young and growing community that forms the face of the American Catholic future.
The paradox at the heart of Catholic World Meeting of Families (COMMENTARY)
By Tom Krattenmaker — September 13, 2015
(RNS) Pope Francis, with his faithfulness to official church doctrine and his compassionate, nonjudgmental attitude, embodies the tension of the larger church: the desire to uphold traditional teachings and model Christian love at the same time.
Black churches bucking the trend of decline
By Adelle M. Banks — August 13, 2015
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (RNS) A recent Pew Research Center survey showed that historically black denominations are not losing their share of the U.S. population. Why is that?
Do polls reveal the God’s honest truth about American religion? No, but they still count
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — August 6, 2015
(RNS) The image of U.S. religion created by pollsters is too often inaccurate, shallow and misleading, writes a leading sociologist of religion.
US Jewish numbers no longer declining, but demographic worries persist
By Lauren Markoe — June 11, 2015
(RNS) As the proportion of Americans who are Christian declines, the share who are Jewish is holding firm. But some Jewish scholars say the data are nothing to celebrate.
Why Christian denominations aren’t going away (COMMENTARY)
By Trevin Wax — June 8, 2015
(RNS) “Why reinvent a system or structure that already exists?” For me, it’s a matter of stewardship, a willingness to work within a denominational structure and make it better, not do away with it and start from scratch.
Forget the numbers. The big story is that religion has lost social influence. (ANALYSIS)
By Arthur E. Farnsley II — May 26, 2015
(RNS) Behind the story of Christian decline and the rise of “nones” is a long-standing debate about what religion theorists call “secularization,” the broad process by which religion gradually loses its social influence.
5 ways churches inflicted pain on themselves (COMMENTARY)
By Tom Ehrich — May 19, 2015
(RNS) Christianity isn't in trouble at all. Churches are in trouble.
Bright spots and tough challenges for evangelicals in Pew survey (COMMENTARY)
By Trevin Wax — May 18, 2015
(RNS) Divergent perspectives on the Pew survey are connected to larger narratives that frame how conservative and liberal Christians in the United States see themselves.