religion

Leaving Religion in the Pandemic

Leaving Religion in the Pandemic

According to Pew Research Center, the percentage of American Christians has fallen about 12 percent over the last ten years, from 75 percent in 2011 to around 63 percent today. The surprising thing here isn’t that Americans are leaving organized religion behind. That’s been happening at about the same rate for a while now. However, it is newsworthy that this trend continued unabated in the face of a global pandemic. Historically, catastrophic events that bring uncertainty, stress, or political chaos tend to draw people to reconsider faith.

Is Religion Good for the World?

Is Religion Good for the World?

The gospel is true because it is true, whether secular science can prove its claims or not. Such proof may be compelling for secular people; for example, Paul quoted Greek philosophers when reasoning with Greek philosophers (Acts 17:28). But if God’s word is truth (John 17:17), no secular experiments can make it less true.

Why It Is Vital for Christians to Share Christ with Non-Religious People

Why It Is Vital for Christians to Share Christ with Non-Religious People

All people are created by God with a “Christ-shaped emptiness” (paraphrasing Pascal), whether they know it or not. When lost people meet Christians in whose lives Christ is active, empowering, gracious, and compelling, what they are missing draws them to the only One who can satisfy the deep hunger of their souls.

Will the Pandemic Accelerate Secularization, Privatization of Religion?

Will the Pandemic Accelerate Secularization, Privatization of Religion?

Baylor historian Philip Jenkins predicts that in the people will think about church in terms of “BC…Before Coronavirus,” and after.

The key factor in Jenkin’s fascinating analysis is what we might call “pre-existing conditions.” In other words, in many ways, the coronavirus hasn’t so much created problems for the Church as it has revealed and accelerated them.

U.S. Is Still 'Exceptionally' Religious Compared to Other Countries, New Study Shows

U.S. Is Still 'Exceptionally' Religious Compared to Other Countries, New Study Shows

A new study shows that despite the decline in religiosity in America, the United States is still one of the most religious countries in the world.

Religiously Active People Are Happier than Others, Pew Research Center Finds

Religiously Active People Are Happier than Others, Pew Research Center Finds
A Pew research study has found that people who are regularly religiously active are happier and more engaged in civic matters than people who are religiously unaffiliated or religiously inactive.

Where Is Christianity Headed? The View from 2019

Where Is Christianity Headed? The View from 2019
As 2019 begins, the world is becoming more religious, not less. Faith from diverse traditions grows as population expands throughout most of the Global South. Last year, nearly 50 million more Christians were added in Africa, making it the continent with the most adherents to Christianity in the world, 631 million.