Twenty years ago, megachurches might have rated an asterisk in a journalistic overview of U.S. Christianity. Today, an estimated 12 million Americans consider one of these mammoth congregations to be their church home, making the megachurch phenomenon one of the most important for religion in modern times.
Two pending developments are contributing to an escalation of the nation’s long-standing debate over legalized abortion: health care reform and the anticipated release of proposals, developed by a White House task force, aimed at reducing abortion. This edition of ReligionLink provides resources to help reporters navigate the volatile issues at stake.
The first decade of the 21st century has been a period of great challenges for the U.S. military, with forces engaged in first Afghanistan and then Iraq for most of that time. Religion is proving to be a source of both comfort and controversy for the troops as they grapple with these demands.
Acknowledging and harnessing the force of faith
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Religion often plays a critical role in global conflicts, but comparatively little public attention has been paid to the role of religion in peacemaking.
As concern for the environment has grown in faith communities, a greater emphasis has fallen on how people care for and treat animals. The verse in Genesis – a text sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam – that gives mankind “dominion” over the animals is no longer universally interpreted as awarding carte blanche over domestic, [...]
A May 15, 2008, court ruling striking down California’s ban on same-sex marriage has rocketed the issue back into the national spotlight. Political, legal and religious battles over homosexual unions are continuing in California, other states and nationally.
Although the ruling directly affects only California, some predict it could play a role in softening objections to [...]
The world’s eyes will turn to China when it hosts the XXIX Olympic Games Aug. 8-24 in Beijing. For many, eyes are already on the ascendant Asian economic powerhouse. Tensions and issues involving China are making headlines daily. Riots in the Buddhist region of Tibet, dissenters on trial in China, allegations of terrorism by China’s [...]
Thirty-five years after abortion became legal in the U.S., the perennial hot-button issue is shifting in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The nation’s abortion rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1974. The procedures that are performed are done, increasingly, at an earlier stage of pregnancy than in the past. Hollywood is releasing “life-affirming” films [...]
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