Bob Smietana
-
'The Great Dechurching' explores America's religious exodus
A new study looks at why millions of Americans left church â and what might bring them back.
-
Sarah Young, publicity-shy superstar author of 'Jesus Calling,' dies at 77
First published in 2004, the devotional has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
-
White Christians think too many people see racism when it's not there, new survey finds
A new survey from Pew Research revealed once again how deeply divided religious Americans are when it comes to matters of race.
-
In new book, Russell Moore urges evangelicals to stop lying and come back to Jesus
Once a rising star among Southern Baptists, Moore lost his job after criticizing Donald Trump and standing by abuse survivors.
-
Few worship leaders avoid Hillsong, Bethel songs â despite controversies and scandal
A new study looked at how worship leaders pick music for services â at a time when a handful of megachurches dominate the market.
-
Big churches sound alike, little churches are the 'Wild West' of music, study finds
Worship professor Will Bishop said that focusing on the most popular worship songs can miss what churches are actually singing.
-
SBC messengers reelect Texas pastor Bart Barber to a second term as president
Barber was an unlikely candidate for president when he first ran in 2022. His election seems to indicate that Southern Baptists approve of the direction the convention is going.
-
Bart Barber, Mike Stone â two conservative pastors â to square off for SBC president
The two candidates for SBC president hold many of the same beliefs but disagree sharply over how to handle the issue of sexual abuse and over the direction of the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
-
Southern Baptists lost nearly half a million members in 2022
The Southern Baptist Convention has lost 3 million members since 2006, about half of that in the last five years.
-
Joshua Butler, author of controversial book on sex, resigns as pastor of Arizona church
The book had been criticized for its comparisons of spiritual experiences to sex and male pleasure.
-
New study suggests thinking about God can make people more generous to outsiders
The study was a collaboration among researchers looking into how religion affects human behavior. Some thought religion might make people generous to just those who share their faith. Others thought the generosity could extend to people from other groups.
-
There's a reason every hit worship song sounds the same
On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with "This Is Amazing Grace," a 2012 hit that has remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade.