Many faith-based charities that have long partnered with the government have experienced setbacks to the point where they will not be likely to return to their former missions and levels of activity, according to leaders of religious social services during a recent New York conference attended by RW. The conference, sponsored by Religion News Service […]
While trap music, an increasingly popular form of southern hip-hop, has been known for its infatuation with wealth and money, its songs also show a strong if unorthodox spiritual current, writes Rachel Bomalaski in the journal Anthropology of Consciousness (online in October). Trap emerged from the American South’s urban centers in the late 1990s and […]
A new report from Barna Research finds that “men are significantly outpacing women in church attendance since the pandemic, reversing a longstanding trend in Barna’s decades of polling. The 2025 gender gap is the largest recorded so far (43 percent for men vs. 36 percent among women).” The Barna poll finds that married fathers have […]
There is a resurgence of ancestral and “idol worship” for prosperity in Nigeria which is drawing an increasing number of young Christians to its ranks, according to Edlyne Anugwom of the University of Nigeria. In a paper presented at the Minneapolis meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in early November, attended […]
Muslim women have taken up a significant role in the protests and provocations over Palestinian rights, signaling significant changes in traditional Islamic gender roles, writes Salwa Alinat-Abed in the journal Contemporary Islam (online in October). Alinat-Abed focuses on the growing role of Muslim women in the protests and activism at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, demonstrating […]
1) Christian women have become prominent social media influencers, and some are drawing large offline followings. Such is the case with Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma and their popular show Girls Gone Bible. Launched in 2023 in the form of a weekly podcast show, it has since gained more than 20 million listens and nearly […]
While it is too early to say if the ferment and fervor unleashed by the assassination of conservative Christian and political activist Charlie Kirk will have long-lasting religious effects, the events surrounding the tragedy do suggest a revival of the religious right, even if in new forms, according to several reports. In the Free Press […]
Being the “first generation fully free from the Boomer cultural grip,” Generation Z evangelicals are fashioning a distinct approach to ministry and church leadership based on wider opportunities, writes Aaron Renn in his Substack newsletter (September 23). Gen Z evangelicals are far enough removed from their older boomer counterparts that they may not even know […]
Silent retreats, where participants follow monastic practices based on “quiet and listening,” are finding a new popularity among Buddhists, Christians, Jains, and Jews, reports the Washington Post (September 20). Ben Brasch writes that leaders from various traditions are reporting a growth in demand for their silent retreats, often from non-affiliated people. The uptick in interest […]
The gap between evangelical and Catholic women supporting the Trump presidency is narrowing, writes Heidi Schlumpf in Commonweal magazine (August 29). The much-touted gender gap in support for Trump has actually narrowed, especially among two religious demographic groups: evangelicals and Catholics. While it’s true that “Trump made gains among men of all ages, races, and […]
