October, 2011
Millennials Leave Their Churches Over Science, Lesbian & Gay Issues
[10.06.2011]Churches are worried, and with good reason. A new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research released last week reported that over the past decade, America’s congregations have lost members and suffered a decrease in “spiritual vitality,” brought on, in part, by ageing congregations. And the Barna Group, a Christian-affiliated polling organization, recently completed a five-year project which has morphed into a book called You Lost Me: Why Young… more
Tea Party Diverges from Republicans on Some Environmental Issues, Says Yale Survey
[10.05.2011]Following on the heels of the latest PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey, which tackled the thorny issues of climate change and evolution in the 2012 elections, Yale University’s Project on Climate Change Communication released a special report, Politics & Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party, co-authored by Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University and Edward Maibach and Connie Roser-Renouf of George Mason University. Although it’s not quite the “first”… more
The Morning Buzz | October 5, 2011
[10.05.2011]Welcome to the Morning Buzz, PRRI’s morning dose of religion-related news with a shot of data – because what doesn’t liven up a morning round-up like some public opinion numbers? If you want to add a slow, confused head-shake to your morning routine, check out this fast-food signage from Beijing. Yes, it does indeed say Obama Fried Chicken. Yes, that is a picture of our president. And yes, at the… more
Alabama and Americans’ Core Values on Immigration
[10.04.2011]In the aftermath of the judicial decision that upheld key portions of Alabama’s new immigration law, which the state’s governor is now touting as the “strongest” in the country, immigrants are already beginning to flee. If the law’s goal is to produce a mass exodus of illegal immigrants, it looks as though it may already be succeeding. In addition to requiring public schools to determine the immigration status of students… more
The Morning Buzz | October 4, 2011
[10.04.2011]Welcome to the Morning Buzz, PRRI’s morning dose of religion-related news with a shot of data – because what doesn’t liven up a morning round-up like some public opinion numbers? Just take a little glance before you get sucked into the media black hole of Chris Christie’s press conference and the Apple iPhone 5 announcement (so I guess neither Christie nor the iPhone will be running for president…unless they both… more
Younger White Evangelicals Express Comfort With Muslim Religion, Culture
[10.04.2011]Late last week, the lower house of the Swiss Parliament passed a piece of legislation that would bar Muslim women from wearing face-covering veils, including the burqa, a body-covering, full-veil robe worn by Muslim women, in public places. If the law passes in the upper house, Switzerland will join a significant handful of European countries – France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain – that have considered or implemented similar bans. French women… more
New Survey Finds American Congregations Slowly Losing Members
[10.03.2011]Taking the temperature of America’s congregations might seem like an impossible task, given the country’s vast array of religious institutions, but a new survey from The Hartford Institute for Religion Research paints a vivid portrait of the status of American faith communities. In “A Decade of Change in American Congregations 2000- 2010,” survey author David A. Roozen shows that in the past decade, despite “bursts of innovation and pockets of… more
Call Him Crazy: Huntsman for President in 2024?
[10.03.2011]If you’ve been hankering for some interesting commentary, look no further than my latest article for the CNN Belief Blog. Jon Huntsman isn’t doing so well in the 2012 GOP primary, but I predict that given where younger Republicans stand on issues like same-sex marriage, evolution and climate change, and Biblical literalism, a Huntsman-esque campaign could be the model for Republican candidates in a few election cycles. Read an excerpt… more
The Morning Buzz | October 3, 2011
[10.03.2011]Welcome to the Morning Buzz, PRRI’s morning dose of religion-related news with a shot of data – because what doesn’t liven up a morning round-up like some public opinion numbers? There was some good news for “Arrested Development” fans this weekend – not only will there be a movie, but there will be a 10-episode lead-up to its release. Followers of the cult TV show are ecstatic; as one blog… more