WASHINGTON — A new poll that shows Sen. Hillary Clinton drawing a large percentage of “born-again” voters is giving her campaign something to trumpet, but is also prompting questions: Did the pollster define born-again too broadly? And if so, are…
SECOND OPINION: Politics through Lenten eyes
The so-called “Christian vote” is making its quadrennial appearance in election coverage, as if “Christians” were a voting bloc that debated candidates' religious credentials and cast a unified vote for the candidate deemed most compatible with the gospel. Reality, of…
Death penalty opponents find new allies among evangelicals
CARRBORO, N.C. (RNS) — Stephen Dear has spent the past 10 years waging an uphill battle to abolish the death penalty in the American South — with virtually no help from the region's powerful evangelical ministers. But unlike in years…
Survey: Unchurched Americans say church is full of hypocrites
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Almost three-quarters of Americans who haven't darkened the door of a church in the last six months think it is “full of hypocrites,” and even more of them consider Christianity to be more about organized religion than…
Religion writers name evangelicals in election as last year’s top story
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The nation's religion writers considered political grappling of evangelicals for a GOP presidential candidate the top religion story of 2007. Members of the Religion Newswriters Association named their Top 10 list of religion stories for the year….
Study finds limits to Willow Creek’s success model
CHICAGO (RNS) — Willow Creek Community Church, the suburban Chicago megachurch that has become a model for some of the nation's largest churches, started more than a quarter-century ago by asking the question: Why don't people go to church? Now,…
Mayors’ report says cities seeing more emergency food requests
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A majority of U.S. cities participating in a recent survey have seen an increase in the number of requests for emergency food assistance, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reports. The Washington-based conference recently issued its annual Hunger…
College students’ spiritual interests increase; worship attendance drops
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Though college students' attendance at worship services declines, their interest in spiritual matters grows during their time on campus, a new UCLA study shows. UCLA's Higher Education Re-search Institute compared the views of students who were…
High-tech audio Bibles bring Scriptures to life, users say
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (RNS) — Often when Mike Sheppard listens to the stories of the Crucifixion or Mary's discovery of the empty tomb, he gets so distracted he almost forgets he's behind the wheel. “There are points in the New Testament…
Prayer heals honest Brit’s legs but cannot cure bureaucracy with no ‘miracle’ button
LONDON (RNS) — A British pastor's wife who claims the power of prayer cured her injuries was told her incapacity benefits could not be stopped because the government's computers didn't have a “miracle” button. As a result, June Clarke of…
Looking back at 2007: Quiet year, but signs of change in the air
WASHINGTON (RNS) — History books are full of dates that mark seminal events: 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door and launched the Protestant Reformation; or 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion. But boldface…
Churches push Advent Conspiracy to teach real giving
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS)—The Christmas contradiction gives Pastor Rick McKinley a headache. Americans will spend about $475 billion this year on gifts, decorations and parties that many won't even remember next year. They will run themselves ragged—shopping, wrapping and celebrating. And…