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Religion News

2021-08-20T10:34:09-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What is an “evangelical”?

Last updated on: August 20, 2021 at 10:34 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: One more time: What is an “evangelical”? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Last month the Public Religion Research Institute reported that its latest polling shows white U.S. Protestants who identify as “evangelical” are now outnumbered by whites who do not do so. That upended the usual thinking on numbers, and analysts raised doubts. The discussion led Terry Shoemaker of Arizona State University, writing for theconversaation.com, to again mull the perennial question of what “evangelical” means. In the American context,... Read more

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2021-08-06T10:20:30-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Where is Islam heading in the U.K. (and what about the U.S.)?

Last updated on: August 6, 2021 at 10:20 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Where is Islam heading in the U.K. (and what about the U.S.)? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: As in the United States, the Muslim minority population is growing steadily in the United Kingdom, up 107% since 2001 to exceed 3 million — even as participation in many Christian churches declines. British society will be reshaped by the inner workings among followers of the world’s second-largest religion. That underscores the importance of the new book “Among the Mosques: A Journey... Read more

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2021-07-22T16:43:51-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What was the ancient “Didache”? What is its relevance today?

Last updated on: July 22, 2021 at 4:43 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What was the ancient Didache and what is its relevance today? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Except for the Bible or Quran, ancient writings rarely pop up in 21st Century public disputes. So it was rather interesting to see that happen with the Didache, whose importance rests on its likely status as the oldest surviving text from Christianity’s earliest days other than the New Testament itself. Certain scholars think it was written even before the Gospels, between A.D. 50... Read more

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2021-07-09T11:52:03-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Should the Southern Baptist Convention rename itself?

Last updated on: July 9, 2021 at 11:52 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: After 176 years, does the Southern Baptist Convention need a new name? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: This question has simmered over the years within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which is by far America’s largest Protestant body. Discussions heated up a decade ago and are now more pertinent than ever. Some Baptists hope this step toward a fresh new image might help overcome public relations disasters over SBC mishandling of sexual abuse cases, misogyny, racial insensitivity and partisan... Read more

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2021-06-24T12:11:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is tithing (donating 10% of income) still valid for Christians?

Last updated on: June 24, 2021 at 12:11 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Should 21st Century Christians still give 10% of their income to the church? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A bad pun says that the week of a church’s annual budget pledge drive the pastor preaches the Sermon on the Amount. Many churches are fretting about amounts these days, hoping attendance and offering-plate receipts will recover from the COVID crisis. How much should modern-day Christians donate to support their churches? The oft-cited standard is the “tithe,” a biblical term for... Read more

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2021-06-11T16:52:50-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

UFO buzz: Will life on distant planets overturn Christianity?

Last updated on: June 11, 2021 at 4:52 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Would proof that intelligent life exists on distant planets overturn the Christian religion? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Religious skeptics say very likely yes. Why? They argue that given the unimaginably vast number of planets throughout space, there seem to be heavy odds that life would have evolved on some or many of them. If so, we earthlings no longer stand at the center of God’s plan for the cosmos, and that overturns the biblical viewpoint. No, according to... Read more

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2021-05-26T14:38:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Did Winston Churchill believe in God?

Last updated on: May 26, 2021 at 2:38 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Did Winston Churchill believe in God? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Sorta. Maybe. Depends what you mean. The question and that answer are raised in the new book “Duty & Destiny: The Life and Faith of Winston Churchill” (Eerdmans) by Grove City College historian Gary Scott Smith, whose prior works include “Faith and the Presidency from George Washington to George W. Bush.” It’s fair to say that during World War Two Churchill saved the United Kingdom and with that... Read more

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2021-05-08T14:10:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Where is Christianity still growing, and why?

Last updated on: May 8, 2021 at 2:10 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Where in the world is Christianity still growing, and why? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: This page often addresses topics that have been in the air for months, even years. But this one is raised by a brand-new article this week at ChristianityToday.com and a more academic version posted by the journal Sociology of Religion. There’s further timeliness in the Gallup Poll’s March bombshell that less than half of Americans now claim religious affiliations, the lowest mark since it... Read more

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2021-04-23T10:48:25-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Was Jesus sinless? Did He “Doubt”? Does It matter?

Last updated on: April 23, 2021 at 10:48 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTIONS: Was Jesus Christ totally without sin? Does it matter? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Christian tradition says yes, and yes. This month, related discussions with weighty implications popped up online, so The Religion Guy takes a look at this belief, which dates from the very earliest days of church history. But we begin with the fact, perhaps surprising to Christians, that Jesus’ sinlessness is also taught by Islam. These two faiths combined engage upwards of 4 billion people. In... Read more

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2021-04-09T13:22:27-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What can we know about long-ago biblical figures like Joshua?

Last updated on: April 9, 2021 at 1:22 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION (raised by The New York Times): What can we know about long-ago biblical figures, for instance Joshua? How do we know what we know, or think we know, or can know, or might know? “Epistemology” is the branch of philosophy that ponders such matters. It may seem odd, but philosophers even ponder if there’s any basis for believing that anything we remember from before one second ago actually happened! Back to earth, how do we assess what can... Read more

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