Research and policy proposals to make sense of the teenage years tend to address concerns such as educational achievement, sexuality, drug abuse and suicide. Noted sociologist and University of Notre Dame professor Christian Smith has spent much of his career delving into a curiously overlooked aspect of teenage life — religion. His research offers insights into teenage beliefs while addressing common questions from parents and youth pastors: Do today’s teens remain loyal to their parents’ faith? Are they abandoning traditional religious institutions to search for a newer, more “authentic” spirituality?
First came President Barack Obama’s proposal to reduce the tax deductions for charitable contributions. Now Cash for Clunkers, as predicted, is also hurting charities nationwide. USA Today reports: Charities across the country are concerned that the popular “cash-for-clunkers” program will entice people to junk old cars for credit toward new ones rather than donate them. “We know there’s going to be a significant impact,” says Chad Iseman, director of the Kidney Cars program for the National Kidney Foundation. Iseman says the foundation gets about 19% of its annual revenue from …
Here’s an encouraging note as Thanksgiving gatherings give way to Christmas shopping during the current economic meltdown: When older adults feel grateful for what they have in tough financial times, they’re less likely to be depressed than fellow seniors or middle-aged Americans who don’t feel grateful. And when older adults frequently go to church or otherwise are more deeply involved in their faith, they’re more likely to be grateful during tough times than peers who aren’t. So, clinging to your faith is good for your mental health? That’s what the evidence …
Sarah Palin maybe forgot to mention this in the debate, but we’re sort of having a pop culture election a month before the presidential one. This weekend, movie lovers have one of those rare opportunities to tell Hollywood they want to see more films that honor America’s traditional values and founding principles — the stuff Governor Palin talks about so well. Even better, those who trust in God — be they conservative or not — also can vote at the box office by staying away in droves from a movie …
DENVER — Time magazine national political editor Amy Sullivan is currently hosting a panel, “The Shifting Faith Vote: What It Means For This Election.” Among the panelists, Revolution in Jesusland blogger Zack Exley shared his story of marrying into a “white born again evangelical culture.” The first time he attended a megachurch in suburban North Carolina, Exley was surprised to see how much that day’s sermon (“Two fists in the face of Empire,” a sermon on Colossians) meshed with his “anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-materialist secular world view.” As Exley continued attending …
