Southern Baptists Adopt Plan to Appeal to Minorities

"With the election of a black pastor to a senior position this week and a new action plan to increase ethnic diversity in its leadership, the Southern Baptist Convention has taken its most concrete steps yet to overcome a history of racial exclusion and to broaden its appeal in a changing American population."

Herculaneum Sewer sheds Light on Secrets of Roman Life

"Archaeologists have been discovering how Romans lived 2,000 years ago, by studying what they left behind in their sewers."

Study: How Satanists See Death

"A researcher from Concordia University recently published a journal article with some rare access to high level Satanists exploring what they think about death and dying."

Islamic Education on the Rise in US, Struggle for Acceptance

"The Islamic School League of America (ISLA), a nonprofit that connects Muslim educators and institutions, estimates that 40,000 students are enrolled in Islamic schools in the United States, a 25 percent increase from 2006."

Nation's Largest Protestant Group Faces 'Decline'

"In 2010, Southern Baptists baptized 332,321 people, or 17,416 fewer than in 2009, according to a report released by Nashville-based LifeWay Research. This marks the eighth time in 10 years that baptisms have declined and the lowest number of baptisms since the 1950s."

U.S. Muslims Double by 2030

"In the United States, the number of Muslims is expected to increase from 2.6 million in 2010 to 6.2 million by 2030, in large part because of immigration and higher-than-average fertility among Muslims."

After 90 Years, a Dictionary of an Ancient World

"Ninety years in the making, the 21-volume dictionary of the language of ancient Mesopotamia and its Babylonian and Assyrian dialects, unspoken for 2,000 years but preserved on clay tablets and in stone inscriptions deciphered over the last two centuries, has finally been completed by scholars at the University of Chicago."