Study reveals half of US Protestant pastors say they’re hearing conspiracy theories in their churches
RNS They’re not just on friends’ and family members’ Facebook pages or weird corners of the internet. About half of all Protestant pastors in the United States say they’re hearing conspiracy theories in their churches, according to a study released Tuesday by LifeWay Research. PICTURE: Tom Carnegie/Unsplash/Creative Commons The study found 49 per cent of […]
Church conflict during COVID-19 growing worry for pastors, says LifeWay Research
RNS Church conflict is a growing pressure point for pastors during the coronavirus pandemic, a new report shows. The report, based on a July survey by LifeWay Research, found that 27 per cent of evangelical and mainline pastors cited maintaining unity and addressing conflict and complaints when asked about the pressure points they are feeling most. Rev […]
In the US, evangelical, midwestern, southern churches most likely to be meeting in person again
RNS Which churches have resumed gathering in person amid the coronavirus pandemic? Mostly evangelical Protestant churches rather than mainline Protestant and, more often, those that are located in the south or midwest, according to a new survey released on Friday by LifeWay Research, the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. St Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church in […]
Survey: US Protestant pastors don’t think geopolitical events hasten the Second Coming
RNS A new LifeWay Research survey of Protestant pastors reveals that most don’t believe they can speed up Christ’s return by supporting geopolitical changes mentioned in the Bible, but most predict the world will enter a period of moral decline before Jesus comes back. According to the poll, which was released on Tuesday, only 12 […]
One in three US Protestants think more stories of abuse by pastors yet to come – survey
RNS The past year has been filled with stories of alleged sexual misconduct and abuse by Protestant Christian pastors. Bill Hybels retired early from the influential Chicago-area megachurch he founded, Willow Creek Community Church, after being accused of sexual harassment by several women connected to the church. Click to enlarge. Andy Savage, a megachurch preacher in […]
ESSAY: THERE ARE NO REAL EVANGELICALS. ONLY IMAGINED ONES
US history professor KRISTIN KOBES DU MEZ, in an article published by Religion News Service, writes about the, at times fraught, debate over the meaning of the word ‘evangelical’…
Most Americans think religious beliefs are a matter of personal opinion, survey reveals
Some 60 per cent of Americans believe religious beliefs are a matter of personal opinion and not about “objective truth”, according to the findings of a recent survey. Conducted by LifeWay Research for Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology report, the survey of some 3,000 American adults found that just 30 per cent disagreed with the […]
Survey shows US evangelicals “deeply confused” about core Christian beliefs, say researchers
A new survey shows US evangelicals are confused about some core doctrines of the Christian faith, according to researchers. A LifeWay Research poll, commissioned for Ligonier Ministries‘ two yearly The State of Theology report, found that more than half evangelicals believe most people are basically good, that God accepts worship of all religions and that Jesus […]
#METOO: SURVEY SHOWS MORE US PASTORS PREACHING ABOUT ABUSE
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, reports on the findings of a new survey looking at how a growing number US Protestant pastors are tackling issues of domestic and sexual abuse in their sermons…
Survey: Protestant church diversity in US ‘heading in the right direction’
RNS More than four in five Protestant pastors say their congregations are predominantly made up of one racial or ethnic group. That 81 per cent figure is high, but it’s not as high as it was four years ago, according to a study published Tuesday by LifeWay Research. It was 86 per cent in a similar […]