By Jeff Brumley In 2010, Justin Roberts was a newly minted Army chaplain and “very green” when he reported for duty with a crack battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. “I showed up with my helmet cover on backwards,” he…
Addicted to spiritual highs? Try calming the soul, experts say
By Jeff Brumley People who hop from church to church in search of more exciting worship or who seek constantly to feel the intensity of God’s presence in their lives very likely are addicts, Jeanie Miley says. For them, religion…
Study: fewer young people see marriage, procreation prerequisites for sex
By Jeff Brumley Church isn’t the only institution Millennials are avoiding or abandoning in droves, new research by The Barna Group has found. The institution of marriage is increasingly shunned by younger Americans who in turn view sexuality as unconnected…
New study documents shifts in Latin American religious affiliation
By Jeff Brumley Latin America remains a mostly Catholic region and culture but its overall numbers have taken a huge dive during the past four decades or so, a new survey by the Pew Research Center has found. How steep…
Gender gap in clergy pay is ‘shameful,’ say some Baptist women
By Jeff Brumley Women clergy make a lot less money than their male counterparts, new federal statistics show — and a lot of women ministers are finding this disturbing. That was evident on the Baptist Women in Ministry Facebook page, where…
For Baptists-turned-Episcopalians, Anglican disagreement feels familiar
By Jeff Brumley Growing up Southern Baptist in Alabama, Malcom Marler saw just how nasty people can be when they disagree about scripture and thorny theological issues. The resulting departure of moderates and liberals from the convention in the late…
Scholar disputes pollsters’ dire predictions for faith in U.S.
By Jeff Brumley You don’t have to follow the news that closely to hear that Christianity is on the ropes in America, that worship attendance is spiraling downward, that young people want nothing to do with church and that Americans…
Inspired by Obama, Baptist pastor offers ‘state of the church’
By Jeff Brumley Merianna Neely Harrelson was watching President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night when it struck her: someone should do a state-of-the-church address. Then Harrelson, pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship in Lexington, S.C., thought that someone…
Increasingly, churches are unwilling to adapt, new survey indicates
By Jeff Brumley A new study reports that American churches are increasingly less willing to make changes to worship, programs and ministries needed to best reflect and meet the needs of the communities around them. Oak Grove United Methodist Church…