Lead story
Editor's note:
A recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute found the number of white evangelicals in America has declined dramatically. Among young evangelicals, the church’s stance toward LGBTQ equality is increasingly a major factor in their exodus.
While the debate over same-sex marriage within the church is not new, the divides around it continue to deepen. When it comes to most “culture war” issues — racial justice, climate action, gender equality — there are evangelical churches on both sides. Yet, fully affirming evangelical churches — that will ordain, marry and grant membership to LGBTQ parishioners — are nearly impossible to find. And for millennials and Gen Z evangelicals, who came of age amid a massive cultural sea change around LGBTQ justice, anything less than full affirmation is increasingly a deal breaker.
Religion News Service national reporter Yonat Shimron spoke with young Christians who have left evangelical spaces and cited LGBTQ issues as a main reason.
Religion News
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Black Baptist group renews historic calls for civil rights
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Commentary and Analysis
President Xi Jinping's nationalist agenda includes supporting traditional Chinese religious beliefs and practices -- as long as their leaders support the Chinese Communist Party. By Mario Poceski for The Conversation
Black Americans have been much more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the wealth gap and various socioeconomic inequities that are the result of centuries of segregation, discrimination and slavery. By Kelly Brown Douglas/Religion News Service
A controversial pastor is aiming to convert a town of 25,000 people as part of grand expansion plans. A scholar says the congregation's influence is growing. By Crawford Gribben for The Conversation
What is the Islamic New Year? A scholar of religion explains
Islamic New Year marks the first day of Muharram, a sacred month of prayer and annual reflection. By Iqbal Akhtar for The Conversation
A church marquee stands among buildings destroyed by the Dixie Fire in Greenville on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
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