Should juveniles ever be executed? In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that states could execute offenders as young as 16 if they chose to. But attitudes appear to be shifting, and the case now coming before the court could end that practice for good. More →

October 1, 2004

Part four of a four-part series: evangelicals on their common commitment to spreading their faith. Tens of thousands do so through traditional career missionary efforts overseas, but the vast majority of evangelicals say they do it in their everyday lives. More →

May 7, 2004

U.S. mainline denominations are all deeply divided on gay issues. In 2003, the U.S. Episcopal Church consecrated an openly gay bishop. But the United Methodists have stood firm in their opposition to homosexuality. In a series of votes, United Methodist delegates reaffirmed their church’s traditional policy, which says the practice of homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” More →

May 7, 2004

Part three of a four-part series: American evangelicals’ relationship with popular culture. In our national survey, conducted with U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, nearly three quarters of white evangelicals said the media are hostile to their values. Yet they have also created their own widely popular alternative music and books. More →

April 30, 2004

Buddhist meditation techniques are widely popular, and one such method is called Shambhala meditation, a simplified version of Tibetan practice. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, author and meditation leader, told a group of beginners to relax, note their breathing, set aside their thoughts, and just be — quietly — who they are. More →

April 30, 2004

Watch Anna Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and John Green of the University of Akron discuss the results of a survey on America’s evangelicals conducted in conjunction with RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY. More →

April 16, 2004

Deep in the West African nation of Mali, where the savannah grasslands meet the Sahara, lies Timbuktu. It’s an impoverished town of about 30,000, most of them nomadic traders or subsistence farmers. But Timbuktu is rich in history — long ago, it was a place of high Islamic scholarship, and it still has a million manuscripts to prove it. More →

March 12, 2004

A 2003 survey indicates that 52 percent of Americans would favor a law that prohibits same-sex marriage. However, two Canadian provinces have now made same-sex marriages legal, and the highest court in Massachusetts may soon rule on the issue. More →

March 5, 2004

The Jewish tradition of tahara, the washing and purifying of a dead body, is considered one of the greatest of all good deeds — mitzvot. Those who perform taharas are volunteer members of the burial society, chevra kadisha. Women attend to deceased women, men to men. More →

February 6, 2004

Read more of Kelly Hudson’s interview with University of Chicago sociology professor Omar McRoberts about the suburbanization of black churches. More →

February 6, 2004