In Abuse Crisis, a Church Is Pitted Against Society and Itself

". . .Instead, the church is undergoing nothing less than an epochal shift: It pits those who hold fast to a more traditional idea of protecting bishops and priests above all against those who call for more openness and accountability."

Church Recruits Young Priests Via Facebook

"On Facebook, Humblot discovered a forum dedicated to people who, like him, are considering the priesthood. The page was part of a campaign, launched by the Catholic Church this month, to attract young people to the priesthood following decades of dwindling ordainments — and amid waves of sexual abuse allegations that have darkened the reputation of the Catholic priest."

The Future of Evangelicals: A Conversation with Pastor Rick Warren

"The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life invited Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., to discuss how this political association has affected the evangelical movement, what evangelicals' most important concerns are today, and how the movement is evolving."

Religious Persecution is Widespread, Report Warns

There are "many stark assessments about the level of religious persecution around the world today in a huge new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The report names more than two dozen countries as offenders. Some engage in what's classically thought of as religious persecution."

Meditation: Even A Little Helps

"But new research shows that even 20 minutes a day, four days a week, can produce an impressive increase in critical cognitive skills."

Putin: Return Religious Items to Church

"Legislation is being drafted to return icons and other religious art seized after the Russian Revolution to churches and convents."

Where Did Anne Frank Live? Take a Virtual Tour

"Now, 50 years after the opening of the Anne Frank House museum, which has more than 1 million visitors every year, the museum is launching an online virtual tour of what life was like at the back of 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam."

Catholic Faith up 33% in Africa, 16% in Asia

"Data released on Tuesday show the number of Catholics in Africa rose by 33% in the period from 2000 to 2008, and by 15.6% in Asia."

Survey: 72% of Millennials 'More Spiritual Than Religious'

"Most young adults today don't pray, don't worship and don't read the Bible, a major survey by a Christian research firm shows."

Vatican to Finance Adult Stem Cell Research

"The Vatican is pushing for research of adult stem cells as an alternative to the use of embryonic stem cells, which the Catholic Church opposes because it maintains that the destruction of the embryo amounts to the killing of human life."

Location of Denominations/Religions by Searches

"From FloatingSheep.com, this is the Christianity Map that maps the volume of searches related to the different branches of Christianity across the globe. The great cartographers from Floating Sheep published three maps showing the world, the U.S. and Europe."

Religious Freedom Groups Slam Indonesia's Blasphemy Law

"A decision by Indonesia's constitutional court to uphold a controversial blasphemy law has dealt a severe blow to religious freedom in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, a rights group said Tuesday."

Top 10 Religious Relics

"As millions travel to see the Shroud of Turin — the cloth that may have been used to wrap Christ's body after his crucifixion — TIME takes a look at the lore and whereabouts of other religious relics."

A Third Way Between Traditional and Emerging

"Jim Belcher's recent book Deep Church has garnered a lot of attention in ministry circles. For 2009 it was even named Best Book for the Leader's Outer Life by our sister magazine Leadership journal. BuildingChurchLeaders.com editor Drew Dyck spoke with Belcher about his book and what it means for churches."

A Closer Look at "Lean" Church Staffs

"A new survey of U.S. churches suggests that 1 in 7 spends less than 35 percent of its annual budget on staffing costs. . ."

Pentecostals Find Fertile Ground in Latin America

"The Pentecostal word has spread explosively here in the past 40 years. Estimates suggest that over four in 10 now follow the faith in Guatemala. And the same thing is happening across Central America - traditionally a bastion of Catholicism."

Study: U.S. Still a Church-Going Nation

". . .attendance at churches in the United States has declined only slightly in recent decades. Since the 1970s the number of days Americans of all denominations have gone to services has declined from about 28 to 23 or 24 days a year. But what has changed is the makeup of the congregations — particularly women, Southerners and Catholics."

Anthony Flew, Once a Prominent Atheist, Dies at 87

"In the last decade of his life, scientific discoveries about the complexity of DNA led him to believe there was an intelligent creator. Flew's belief was in deism, in a remote creator who takes no interest in human affairs, unlike the Christian concept."

Rescuer Says God Led Him to Fla. Girl in Swamp

"A Florida man says God led him to an 11-year-old girl lost for days in a swamp."

U.S. Catholic Church Moving Faster on Abuse Cases

"Denver's handling of the Thompson case is the latest example of American Catholic leaders shifting from secrecy to greater openness, an attitude church leaders elsewhere in the world have been slower to adopt."

Five Myths about Emerging Adult Faith

"The National Study of Youth and Religion provides us with a treasure trove of valuable information based on interviews with thousands of emerging American adults."

Going Undercover Among Evangelicals

"Atheist Gina Welch. . .went undercover for two years, joining a megachurch and revealing her nonbeliever status to no one. She eventually became a true part of the community, even going on a mission trip with people she now considers friends."

The Amish and Management

"A new study in the Global Business and Economics Review says the failure rate of Amish businesses is less than 10% in the first five years, compared with 50% of small businesses in the U.S. over the same time period."

Vatican to Post Guide for Sex Abuse Accusations

"The Vatican has launched a new transparency strategy to deal with the sex abuse crisis, planning to post a guide for lay people on the Web to explain how it deals with abuse accusations against priests, The Associated Press has learned."

'Near-Death Experience' May Be Explained by Carbon Dioxide: Study

"People who have 'near-death experiences,' such as flashing lights, feelings of peace and joy and divine encounters before they pull back from the brink may simply have raised levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, a study suggests."

A Woman’s Place Is In The Church

"The cause of the Catholic clergy's sex-abuse scandal is no mystery: insular groups of men often do bad things. So why not break up the all-male club?"

Papal Scandals

"There simply must be a vicar of Christ on earth, and so popes have been succeeding each other for nearly 2,000 years—but not without the occasional misstep."

Mormons Counseled to Cling to Church Teachings

"Mormons should cling to their faith and church teachings in order to weather the problems and temptations they face daily in a tumultuous world, the church's president said at the close of a two-day conference Sunday, addressing one of the fastest growing denominations in the country."

Special Report: Churches Struck Down by Foreclosures

"Getting a complete picture of the financial health of churches across the country is difficult. But a review of filings in the Thomson Reuters Westlaw legal database shows foreclosure proceedings against U.S. churches have nearly tripled since December 2007, when the recession began, compared with the previous seven years, which included the dot.com bust and economic downturn. Court records also reveal more than 100 churches have declared bankruptcy in the last year, often in a last-ditch attempt to halt a sheriff's sale. That number could rise fast."