Here's what's happening on the church and culture front today...

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May 23, 2019

Study: It’s easier to be a ‘none’ in Canada than in the US

May 23, 2019

Nearly a quarter of Canadians today say they have no religious affiliation — about the same as in the U.S. But a forthcoming book by two Canadian researchers says that it is easier to be a “none” in Canada. (Longhurst, Religion News Service)

May 23, 2019

India Is Not Protecting Its Christians

May 23, 2019

Despite Modi’s popularity among much of the country’s Hindu population, his tenure in office has proved difficult for India’s religious minorities. The Hindutva movement—which is made up of extremists who believe that all Indians must be Hindu—have gone after Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and other religious minorities. (Lee, Christianity Today)

May 23, 2019

China's Orwellian war on religion

May 23, 2019

At times under Communist Party rule, repression of faith has eased, but now it is unmistakably worsening. China is engaging in internment, monitoring or persecution of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists on a scale almost unparalleled by a major nation in three-quarters of a century. (Kristof, The New York Times)

May 23, 2019

How the fight for religious freedom has fallen victim to the culture wars

May 23, 2019

The consensus surrounding religious freedom issues has been weakened by deep disputes over whether Americans should be free to exercise a religious objection to same sex marriage or artificial contraception and whether the U.S. Constitution mandates strict church-state separation. (Gjelten, NPR)

May 23, 2019

News Archive:

Featured

Study: It’s easier to be a ‘none’ in Canada than in the US

India Is Not Protecting Its Christians

China's Orwellian war on religion

As the generation most likely to report experiencing misconduct and least likely to tolerate it, Christians under 35 stand to shape how congregations respond. (Shellnutt, Christianity Today)

The last time Belgium's Grimbergen Abbey brewed beer, the United States was only about 20 years old. But the abbey now plans to make beer again, and for inspiration, it will turn to the original recipes and brewing instructions in its archive of medieval texts. (Chappell, NPR)

How 'Game of Thrones' failed fantasy

The show’s ending embodied many of the dismissive clichés about fantasy, rather than representing the genre come of age. (Douthat, The New York Times)

Julie Thomas, director of marketing at the Arkansas Educational Television Network, told the Arkansas Times that, “in realizing that many parents may not have been aware of the topics of the episode beforehand, we made the decision not to air it.” (Iati, The Washington Post)

For decades, the main reason chief executives were ousted from their jobs was the firm's financial performance. In 2018, that all changed. Misconduct and ethical lapses occurring in the #MeToo era are now the biggest driver behind a chief executive falling from the top. (Allyn, NPR)

American millennials are approaching middle age in worse financial shape than every living generation ahead of them, lagging behind baby boomers and Generation X despite a decade of economic growth and falling unemployment. (Adamy & Overberg, The Wall Street Journal)

The number of people dying by suicide in the U.S. has been rising, and a new study shows that the suicide rate among girls ages 10 to 14 has been increasing faster than it has for boys of the same age. Boys are still more likely to take their own lives. But the study… finds that girls are steadily narrowing that gap. (Ingber & Chaterjee, NPR)

As gang wars drive Brazil’s homicide rate to historic highs, evangelical pastors — long revered in the nation’s slums and prisons — have come up with a new way to protect members looking for a way out. (Lopes, The Washington Post)

Cocaine use has more than doubled in at least five years as purity has hit a record high, a unique analysis of Britain’s waste water has revealed. (Hymas, The Telegraph)

The small community where a gunman stormed into a church service and killed 26 people in 2017 crossed an emotional milestone on Sunday, with the dedication of a new First Baptist Church worship center that is fortified against potential future danger. (Montgomery, The New York Times)

The vote by Taiwan’s parliament came two years after the self-ruled island’s constitutional court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry was a violation of the constitution, and told the parliament to take action to enforce its judgement. (Smith, The Telegraph)

The Paramount picture features explicit love-making between Taron Egerton, who plays John himself, and Richard Madden who plays his lover, the music manager John Reid. (Kang, The Telegraph)

Selena Gomez has taken aim at social media platforms and their detrimental effect on young people, saying they could be dangerous and contribute to a world of disinformation and bullying. (The Telegraph)

Animated gay wedding sparks protest

"Arthur" -- a PBS Kids show chronicling the adventures of an elementary school-aged, anthropomorphic aardvark -- included in its season 22 premier May 14 the same-sex wedding of the title character's teacher Mr. Ratburn, according to media reports. (Roach, Baptist Press)

It's considered the most restrictive abortion law in the United States. The law makes it a crime for doctors to perform abortions at any stage of a pregnancy, unless a woman's life is threatened or there is a lethal fetal anomaly. (Elliott & Wamsley, NPR)

States across the country are passing some of the most restrictive abortion legislation in decades, deepening the growing divide between liberal and conservative states and setting up momentous court battles that could profoundly reshape abortion access in America. (Tavernise, The New York Times)