"Though more Americans go to church or believe in God than their counterparts in virtually every other Western country, fewer Americans now trust religious institutions. A recent Gallup poll showed that just 44 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in 'the church or organized religion.'"

Survey: For many, Jesus Isn't the Reason for the Season

"Come-all-ye-partiers trumps O Come, All Ye Faithful for more than one in three people asked about their Christmas activities in a survey by LifeWay Research, a Nashville-based Christian research organization."

Teen Church Group Participation Flat for Over a Decade

"Only about one in four teens now participate in church youth groups, considered the hallmark of involvement; numbers have been flat since 1999."

Thinking About God De-Stresses Believers

"Thinking about God reduce distress, but only in believers, while atheists are more distressed after thinking of God-related ideas, Canadian researchers say."

More Americans Say They Attend Church, Mosque, Synagogue

"Slightly more than 43 percent of Americans told Gallup they attend church, synagogue or mosque weekly or almost every week, up from just under 43 percent in 2009, and about 42 percent in 2008."

Five Major Trends for Churches in America

"The trends that follow were not created in a vacuum. Most the information is based on studies we have done at LifeWay Research."

Article on Born-Again Rebel Evangelist Don Miller

"Miller had inspired many with his words. His Christian memoir, "Blue like Jazz," sold a million copies. He was a sought-after speaker. He had been dubbed the voice of a new generation of evangelicals. . ."

'Virtual Preaching' Transforms Sunday Sermons

". . .a new generation of pastors who can be in two places at one time. They are using technology -- high-def videos, and even holograms -- to beam their Sunday morning sermons to remote 'satellite' churches that belong to their congregation."

Many Americans Expect Jesus' Return by 2050

"Among respondents to the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Smithsonian Magazine, 41 percent said they expect Jesus' Second Coming in the next 40 years, while 46 percent said it probably or definitely won't happen."

Christians View Syria as Haven in Unstable Region

"Syria's dwindling Christians coexist with their Muslim compatriots in a country many of them see as a safe haven, in a region where religious minorities often struggle for survival."

Philosopher Alvin Plantinga retires from Notre Dame

"It is not surprising, then, that well over 200 philosophers assembled at Notre Dame May 20-22 for a conference celebrating the career of Alvin Plantinga and marking his retirement. The list of registrants was a virtual "who's who" in Christian philosophy today; just about everyone of importance turned up to pay tribute to Plantinga."

Unplugged Christians Living Off the Grid

"Like other conservative Christians in this growing movement, Brother Gregory believes that Christianity has strayed too far from its roots, and has given its role in people's lives over to the government -- as with welfare programs or health care."

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."

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."

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."

Christian Churches in Canada Fading Out: USA Next?

"A new assessment of the state of the church in Canada looks at the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia and then across the country and concludes that, '... at the present rate of decline -- a loss of 13,000 members per year -- only one Anglican would be left in Canada by 2061.'"

Multi-Site Churches Mean Pastors Reach Thousands

"Megachurches with two or more locations under the same leadership made up 37% of U.S. Protestant churches in 2008, up from 22% in 2000, according to a study by the Leadership Network and Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn."

Fast-Growing Christian Churches Crushed in China

"While the Chinese constitution guarantees freedom of religion, Christians are required to worship in churches run by state-controlled organizations: The Three-Self Patriotic Movement for Protestants and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association for Roman Catholics. But more and more Chinese are opting to choose their own churches, despite them being technically illegal and subject to police harassment. Christians worshipping in China's independent churches are believed to number upwards of 60 million, compared to about 20 million who worship in the state church, according to numbers provided by scholars and church activists."

Billy Graham's America

"Grant Wacker, professor of Christian History at Duke University and a member of the Christian History advisory board, is working on a cultural biography of Graham, titled Billy Graham's America, to be published by Harvard University Press in 2011. He is giving us an advance peek at his research in the following essay—which is a condensed version of an article by the same title published in Church History, September 2009."

Interview with Historian Mark Noll on Global Christianity

"No one doubts that American Christianity has had a profound effect on the shape of world Christianity. It's figuring out the exact nature of that influence that still requires investigation and fresh thinking. University of Notre Dame historian Mark Noll has brought his usual careful research and wisdom to bear on this theme in his most recent work, The New Shape of World Christianity (IVP). Christianity Today Media Group editor in chief David Neff talked with Noll about the myths and realities of American influence overseas."