In the seemingly inexhaustible arguments between believers and unbelievers in the U.S., one question often gets overlooked: does religiosity actually have any concrete benefits. Yes, say numerous studies, which link frequent religious service attendance to everything from lower blood pressure to an extra three years of life. T.M. Luhrmann, an anthropologist who’s studied evangelicals in… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Evangelicals
Evangelicals ponder: What happens if the Supreme Court rules the other way?
The airwaves have been full of comments from people demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court as it hears two major gay marriage cases, but that is probably the worst possible pool to draw from if informed, thoughtful engagement is what we’re after. Think about your own group of friends: who is so passionate about… Continue Reading
America’s Religious Left wants gun control
More than 4,000 members of the clergy of various faiths and denominations have signed a letter calling on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban. The letter was printed yesterday in the Des Moines Register, hometown paper of Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The signatories include members of the… Continue Reading
Should we teach the Bible in public schools? An evangelical says “no”
This week, we’ve been talking about whether the Bible should be a routine subject in public schools, and we’ve noted how the most common objections to this idea tend to come from secular or non-Christian folks worried about the possibility of a state agency drifting from education to advocacy. But there are also objections from… Continue Reading
Megachurches: Still good for business
Among much discussion about the end of religion, it’s sometimes useful to talk about some salient, on-the-ground facts. For example: working at a megachurch is a pretty good move in the current economy. According to a new report by the Leadership Network (PDF), three quarters of Protestant churches with 2,000 members or more (i.e. megachurches)… Continue Reading
Tim Tebow’s wilderness period continues with trip to ultra-conservative preacher’s church
Tim Tebow, the popular evangelical Christian quarterback, has had a bit of a rough time since he was traded to the New York Jets prior to the start of last season. He saw barely any playing time, was openly trashed by members of the organization, which now seems ready to cut him loose. But Tebow,… Continue Reading
Is Billy Graham a lawbreaker?
Stephen Prothero thinks so, and Stephen Prothero is always worth reading on the delicate interactions between church and state in the U.S. When I worked as a reporter in North Carolina I developed a lot of respect for Graham and his organization, and was consequently surprised by how openly partisan he appeared to be in… Continue Reading
Southern Baptists predict implosion of Boy Scouts if gay ban is overturned
Next week, the Boy Scouts of America will hold an executive meeting in Texas and, if the early reports are true, they’ll overturn a national policy barring gays from the organization, by allowing local chapters to make decisions on a case-by-case basis. The Boy Scouts have endured some pretty grim publicity lately, and this move… Continue Reading
Evangelicals: Religious freedom for me, stifled dissent for thee
The always valuable Barna Group has produced an interesting poll on public attitudes about religious freedom, a topic we’re likely to hear about a good deal over the next four years. Barna’s top line is “millions of adults—particularly active Protestants—are concerned religious liberties are under threat,” but if you burrow into the numbers a bit,… Continue Reading
The Marvin Olasky-Leonard Cohen mashup no one asked for
A lot of people are obsessed with the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah,” covered by many different artists (most impressively by John Cale, in this man’s opinion) and used on soundtracks from The O.C. to Shrek. Rock critic Alan Light even has a new book entirely about that song. People love it! But sometimes we… Continue Reading