More Americans trust childhood immunizations than they do vaccines to protect against coronavirus, according to a new study by Pew Research Center. “The survey findings highlight the sizable gap between higher public confidence in childhood vaccines and lower ratings of…
Are Americans attending church more or less than before the pandemic? It’s complicated
The relationship between Americans and worship attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic is complicated, Pew Research Center found in a new study. The project compiled statistics from five surveys conducted from 2020 to 2022 and found a steady share of U.S….
Three years ago today, our world changed
Three years ago today, when the pandemic hit, I was barely shy of nine months pregnant. We knew our daughter, George, would be born with Turner Syndrome. She faced open heart surgery at a day old in April 2020, a…
The pandemic gave Jim Cymbala a new window on church
As Pastor Jim Cymbala sat looking through the windows of his condo in Florida that day in March 2020, he knew the world never would be the same. “I went down on March 8, 2020, to get away and planned…
Has virtual worship actually harmed Christianity?
I’ve been thinking a lot about a notion that seems to be taking up a lot of space in the collective conscience lately — that the COVID-19 pandemic has harmed Christianity because of virtual worship. I will admit, that first…
Young adults and those who attended church infrequently before pandemic are most likely to be missing from church today
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to American religious life by accelerating ongoing downward trends in religious attendance, with the biggest decreases occurring among young adults and those with previously infrequent levels of participation, new research shows. The January survey…
Final words from Fauci: Divisiveness is bad medicine for public health
“COVID is still with us. We’re still in a pandemic.” This was the message Anthony Fauci wanted to convey to Baptist News Global readers in an exclusive interview near the end of 2022, as he finished his work as director…
Pew reports on how faith communities were treated during first year of COVID worldwide
Religious groups in nearly 25% of the world’s countries were subjected to government force to prevent in-person gatherings during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even more endured social hostilities and conspiracy theories blaming them for the spread…
As immigration advocates suspected, Title 42 originated with White House, not with CDC
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official has confirmed what immigration rights advocates have suspected all along: Implementation of Title 42 to rapidly expel asylum seekers due to COVID-19 had little to do with the pandemic. Martin Cetron, director…
Vaccine hesitancy is not a matter of doctrine, but for some it remains a matter of faith
One-fifth of the United States population remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, and one-third are not fully vaccinated. The gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated remains for much the same reason that has been true from the beginning: Those least likely to…
When the door closes: Tips for transitioning out of a ministry role
Last August, I was called into a meeting with my associate pastor to discuss the direction of my role within the church staff. I had been leading the music ministry of that church for six years, but the last two…
Despite financial hardships, Americans upped their giving to congregations during pandemic
The financial hardships many Americans faced during the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in the predicted revenue declines for U.S. churches, according to new research into congregational giving trends. In fact, the study conducted by the Lake Institute on Faith…