So many churches pour money and energy into flashy worship services meant to make teenagers and young adults think that church is cool. But it turns out cool isn’t what young people want. Forget the rock-band vibe and the flashing lights. Warm is the new cool. For our book “Growing Young,” we researched more than Read more
According to some reports, the next synod may touch on the question of ordaining married men. If we are to have such a debate, it should be based on fact, not fantasy. You will sometimes hear people say that priests could be married up to the 12th century. Others say that celibacy was imposed on Read more
The standard narrative of American religious decline goes something like this: A few hundred years ago, European and American intellectuals began doubting the validity of God as an explanatory mechanism for natural life. As science became a more widely accepted method for investigating and understanding the physical world, religion became a less viable way of Read more
Melanie* knows there’s nothing in her home or mannerisms that would point to her past. Plainly dressed in khakis and a large grey cardigan, her fine tawny hair pulled back in a loose bun, she fidgets only slightly, running her long fingers heavy with rings repeatedly around her eyes. She doesn’t feel qualified to talk about getting Read more
Susan* bought her 6-year-old son John an iPad when he was in first grade. “I thought, ‘Why not let him get a jump on things?’ ” she told me during a therapy session. John’s school had begun using the devices with younger and younger grades — and his technology teacher had raved about their educational Read more
Saint Ignatius of Loyola created the Examen to be a very short (“quarter of an hour”) prayer that can be prayed at any time that is most convenient. In the Examen, we review our recent past to find God and God’s blessings in daily life. We also look back to find moments in the day Read more
This Thursday the 11th of August I said the prayer to begin the monthly “walk of a mile” by social action groups, mainly women, calling attention to stopping deportations; the separation of families; the freeing those detained in migrant detention centers; and an end to deaths on the border. We walked to the Federal Courthouse Read more
The number of Americans who identify as Christians has declined in recent years, from 78.4 percent in 2007 to 70.6 percent in 2014. That drop-off is most pronounced among young Americans, but it cuts across gender, race, and educational background. The number of self-proclaimed atheists, agnostics, or “nones” has been steadily rising, increasing from 16 Read more
Right to Life is opposed to the law being changed to allow doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide. Right to Life is a “whole of life” pro-life organisation, meaning we seek to uphold the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death. The United Nations Declaration of Human Read more
Top-notch preaching most attracts people looking for a new place to pray. That’s the conclusion of a new Pew Research Center study, released Tuesday (Aug. 23), which asked 5,000 people about their search for a new church or other house of worship. “This is what people value in a congregation — a good message, a good Read more