It’s like I don’t recognize my own neighborhood. It happened overnight. Who are we? Where are we going? What are we becoming? And … what’s next? I have been a pastor for two decades, and so much has changed in…
Two kinds of people see good and evil two kinds of ways
It turns out that once again, there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who believe most everything can be classified easily as good or evil, and those who believe it’s not that simple. Pew Research reports that…
Survey asks how Americans prioritize marriage and childbearing
Among all Americans, white evangelicals are most likely to say that prioritizing marriage and having children is better for society, but in real life they are not more likely to be married than other Christians — and previous studies have…
What does the rise of the ‘nones’ have to do with the future of the Republican Party?
America’s shifting demographics portend doom for the modern-day philosophy of the Republican Party, according to a leading social researcher. But democracy still could be “doomed” while waiting for those demographic shifts, according to a national columnist reflecting on the data….
Americans growing less religious and more strictly religious at the same time
In the current sociology of American religion, there are two trends moving in opposite directions. The “nones” are growing in number, while among those who identify as Christian, varieties of fundamentalism are growing. Religion researcher Ryan Burge recently summarized this…
Michael Flynn’s vision for America would place U.S. alongside the likes of China, Myanmar and Afghanistan
If Michael Flynn and his followers get their way, the United States could join the ranks of China, Myanmar, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and a long list of other nations that ban minority religious traditions highlighted in a new survey by Pew…
Pew study offers some surprising insights to American views on suffering, salvation, heaven and hell
New research on American beliefs about some of faith’s hardest questions highlights both the nation’s biblical illiteracy and the chasm between what various Christian traditions teach. And it holds a few surprises about how people in the pew actually believe…
It’s not just in the U.S. that people believe different truths about basic facts
Debating what is — and isn’t — the truth has become a worldwide phenomenon, new research shows. “In France, the U.S., Italy, Spain and Belgium, half or more think that most people in their country disagree on basic facts more…
More adults than ever are unpartnered in their prime years, new research shows
If you look around your congregation and realize there are a lot more young and middle-aged single adults than there used to be, you’re not alone. It’s a national trend. New data from Pew Research finds a sharp uptick over…