Most Protestant pastors oppose sports gambling and its legalization, a position placing them at odds with much of society and even with their own congregations. “The large majority of pastors oppose sports betting,” Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research,…
Religion Notes: Many young adults believe while most aren’t so sure
-5,000 immigrants anticipated
-American Baptist office on the move
Survey says teetotalers slowly losing ground in Protestant churches
About one third of Baptists admit to drinking alcohol, according to a LifeWay Research report released Nov. 27. Earlier this month Baptist Press published an article asking whether consensus might be shifting away from the teetotaling message preached by Southern…
Sunday morning becoming the most politically ‘segregated’ hour in America
Sunday morning is becoming an increasingly divided time in America. “If Sunday morning was the most segregated morning in American life, it may also be one of the most politicized hours in American life, implicitly or explicitly,” said Bill Leonard,…
Researchers discover another reason Americans leave church
The forces driving Americans from churches apparently aren’t limited to the generational and cultural factors that grab headlines these days. LifeWay Research has found that departures also are likely to occur if a congregation’s core values are altered in some…
Churches must ‘count the cost’ of pursuing youth on social media
Youth have abandoned Facebook in favor of other social media platforms. Data recently released by the Pew Research Center shows Facebook rates fourth behind YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat among young people. So, should churches with strong Facebook presences follow younger…
Co-habitation up, finger pointing down as church discipline declines
Experience and new research show that churches aren’t punishing morally wayward members like they once did. “There is less discipline overall,” said George Bullard, a veteran church and clergy consultant and director of missions for the Columbia Metro Baptist Association in…
Angry that the religious right has hijacked the word ‘evangelical’? Let it go, experts say
Thinking of ditching the term “evangelical” to identify yourself as Christian? Get in line. Clergy, scholars, congregational coaches and innumerable laypeople are expressing increasing anger and disgust that the once respected term no longer describes their commitment to Christ and church.
Research finds Americans are obsessing over morality — again
The human penchant for worrying about the state of morality is ageless. In the 1950s, the popularity of rolled-up jeans, slicked back hair and rock’n’roll music frightened Americans so much that many feared juvenile delinquency would be the ruin of…