Last week we highlighted the return of a Washington state high school football coach who won the right to pray on the field.
Now, after just one game back, coach Joe Kennedy has resigned, “citing family concerns and a lack of support from school district officials,” as the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner reports.
In other news, X owner Elon Musk is accusing the Anti-Defamation League of, well, defamation, “claiming that the nonprofit organization’s statements about rising hate speech on the social media platform have torpedoed X’s advertising revenue,” CNN’s Jordan Valinsky writes. At the heart of this battle is an Orthodox Jewish activist who is being defended by, wait for it, Musk.
Musk’s threat to sue the antisemitism watchdog extends the platform’s war of words, Religion News Service’s Yonat Shimron notes.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Greek Catholic bishops told Pope Francis that his praise for Russia’s imperial past “pained” Ukrainians, as The Associated Press’ Nicole Winfield details.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. Our big story concerns the state of worship attendance and giving after COVID-19.
What To Know: The Big Story
Post-pandemic challenges: For houses of worship, encouraging signs that a rebound is taking place are evident in a new study.
Those signs include “a rise in attendance, an uptick in donations and more people volunteering within their church communities,” GetReligion scribe Clemente Lisi reports at ReligionUnplugged.com. “The challenges, on the other hand, include an aging demographic among clergy and congregants, a lack of willingness to embrace change and concerns about how to integrate those who still insist on attending virtually.”
Uncertain destiny: Funded by the Lilly Endowment, the survey was led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.
A quote from the lead author reflects the mixed outlook:
“It is apparent that congregational dynamics are still in a state of flux,” said Scott Thumma, who directed the project. “Churches, and especially clergy, continue in a recovery phase. Even though aspects of church life are rebounding, the destiny of many faith communities is still uncertain.”
Read more coverage of the study by Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana.
In person vs. virtual: In a new Pew Research Center report, Michelle Faverio and Justin Nortey explain why some Americans prefer to go to religious services in person:
Among those who prefer in-person religious services, the most common reason respondents give is a stronger sense of connection and community with fellow participants. About half (52%) say this – more than three times the share who name any other reason.
The Pew report explores, too, why others choose to watch virtually:
There are too few respondents who prefer virtual religious services to provide precise data on their reasons for doing so. However, several respondents allude to the comfort and convenience of watching services online or on TV. One explains, “It gives me more freedom and extra time to multitask and do some other things.”
Others also mention the safety provided by virtual services. For example, “I don’t have to get dressed to go to the church. I can watch and listen more than once, and I don’t have to worry about being infected with others’ germs.”
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. ‘The Great Dechurching’: “What’s happening to all the church buildings?” — that’s the question posed by the Deseret News’ Jennifer Graham.
“Closing a church isn’t just about shutting its doors, as many communities and pastors are finding out,” Graham writes in a story that references the new book “The Great Dechurching” by Jim Davis and Michael Graham.
Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana interviews the authors.
For more insight, see our Plug-in from earlier this summer on “The giant religion trend that should be bigger news.”
2. Soccer Moses: Stephen Mason, a former Christian rocker turned barber, found unexpected joy with four magical words: “Let My People Goal.”
CONTINUE READING: “Do Post-Pandemic Houses Of Worship Have A Prayer?“ by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.