When it comes to a larger and historically more important subject like Lincoln’s religion, the problems only ramify. We know that Lincoln attended a Baptist church with his parents as a boy in Kentucky and Indiana, because some church records survive. But from there his religious identity fragments in the conflicting testimony of those who knew him.
For years a group of committed community activists in New Orleans have been working cooperatively with local residents to better their neighborhoods and city. But after Hurricane Katrina devastated large swaths of the city, the focus of the organization has changed to focus on the rebuilding effort and its unintended effects.
Charles Jenkins, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, has been searching for a different way of trying to reconcile the people of New Orleans who’s racial and economic divisions have been increasing since the Hurricane.
Denominations must be aware that many Americans change their religious affiliation/identity. They must be open and welcoming to those who are inclined to switch. They should also be prepared to part with a significant portion of their adherents on a regular basis. They should also take comfort in the fact that Americans are more religiously identified than their European counterparts
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a landmark survey this morning. The survey represents the largest study ever done on denominational demographics in the United States. Over 35,000 people participated in the study and it apparently is able to see groups and affiliations down to 0.3%
Two recent stories in the New York Times describe how conflicts in religious law and civil law are being handled in the USA, especially in
The National Council of Churches has published its 2008 Yearbook of Canadian and American Churches. It reports that the fastest growing denomination in the United States and Canada is Jehovah’s Witnesses. The denomination with the sharpest decline was the Episcopal Church.
The March issue of The Atlantic is devoted to the topic “Which Religion Will Win”, with a wide ranging series of articles and comments on religion in America and across the world. It begins with a comment by Walter Russell Mead about the apparant moderation of American evanglicals, in which Mead borrows some analysis from Adam Smith.
In black communities, religious leaders have historically occupied a powerful position as gurus, advocates, stewards and preachers. Whether inspiring their congregations to stand up against social injustice or urging a focus on God-centered family values, black religious leaders are a crucial component of a rich and diverse spiritual landscape. In honor of Black History Month, Beliefnet has compiled a list of some of the nation’s most influential black spiritual leaders in 2008.
“There is a trend … toward more sacramental forms and it is not surprising to see the recovery of imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday,” said the Rev. Daniel K. Dunlap, vice president of Houston Graduate School of Theology and a liturgy expert, according to the Houston Chronicle.