Recent research by Gallup finds, "Americans who attend a church, synagogue, or mosque frequently report experiencing more positive emotions and fewer negative ones in general than do those who attend less often or not at all." So What? Higher levels of religiosity correlate to higher levels of well-being according to other findings from Gallup's research (see my post on the benefits of being religious). Within that context, it makes sense that those who are most involved in Read More …
Associate Pastors & Technology (#0691)
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently released its first systematic look at associate pastors in an 88 page report "Associate Pastors in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." The comprehensive report is based on a 2011 survey of associate pastors and a 2008 & 2009 survey of key leaders. The survey found associate pastors spent an average of 11 hours a week "emailing, text messaging, or using the Internet" in their personal lives. Professionally, these pastors used differing Read More …
Review of The Best of Will Willimon (#0690)
Meet the Author Since 2004, William H. Willimon has served as a Bishop in the United Methodist Church responsible for overseeing 57,000 members and 792 pastors in North Alabama. Previously, he served for twenty years as Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University. Willimon is the author of over sixty books including two best sellers: Sinning Like a Christian: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Thank God It’s Read More …
Everyone is a Technologist (#0689)
Tech entrepreneur Daniel Gulati suggests "technology skills will be crucial for future employment prospects" in his recent post on the Harvard Business Review's Blog Network. Over the last fifteen years internet users have grown from 70 million to 2.2 billion, and the ability to use technology has become a necessary skill at all levels of employment. To help everyone attain and retain proficiency as a technologist, Gulati provides five recommendations: Be an end user Read More …
America’s Most & Least Religious States (#0688)
Last week Gallup released the newest list of how religious residents of each state are based on the percentage of respondents who self-identified as "very religious." A majority (51% or more) are very religious in seven states: Mississippi (59%) Utah (57%) Alabama (56%) Louisiana (54%) Arkansas (54%) South Carolina (54%) Tennessee (52%) A relatively small minority (less than 3 in 10) are very religious in five states: Vermont (23%) New Hampshire (23%) Maine (25%) Read More …
Worship Practices (in the USA) (#0687)
"FACTS on Worship: 2010," the latest Faith Communities Today (FACT) report, provides insight into the current worship practices in churches by means of an aggregated data set that includes responses from over 11,000 congregations affiliated with over 120 denominations. Worship is changing. The latest research shows increasing diversity in several areas, including: Time: Most services are held on Sunday morning (74%), but other weekend options are significant: Sunday Read More …
Mosques in America Growing Rapidly (#0686)
The number of mosques in America is growing rapidly. Lauren Markoe's Religion News Service article explores the recent growth through the lens of "The American Mosque 2011," a recently released report that overviews the findings of a survey produced by "a coalition of Islamic civic groups and Muslim and non-Muslim religion scholars." Notably: Total number of mosques: 2016 Growth in number of mosques since 2000: 74% Most mosques take an approach that is other Read More …
What is Faith? (#0685)
Each year Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams commissions a book for those in his fellowship, the Anglican Communion, to read during lent. Ruth Barrows, known as Sister Rachel in her Carmelite Community, was commissioned for the 2012 book. The April 4, 2012 edition of the Christian Century includes an interview of Barrows by Amy Frykholm. Q: What is faith? What does it mean to have it or to lack it? A: Faith is a profound mystery that we can never adequately Read More …
Living Together Before Marriage (#0684)
"Living together before marriage no longer a predictor of divorce" was the headline of page 21A of my local newspaper last Thursday. The AP article reports on some of the findings of a recent marriage survey of 22,000 men and women. The number of couples living together before marriage has grown from around 10% in the 1960s to around 60% today. While a generation ago those who cohabited before marriage were more apt to divorce than those who did not, today there Read More …
Review of the Power of Parable (#0683)
Meet the Author John Dominic Crossan "is generally regarded as the leading historical Jesus scholar in the world." He has been a professor of religious studies at DePaul University since 1969 and currently serves that institution as professor emeritus. Over the last forty years Crossan has written over twenty-five books on the historical Jesus, earliest Christianity, and the historical Paul. Some of his best-sellers include God and Empire: Jesus Against Read More …