Last week, the US government said more than 35 million Americans went without food at some point during 2006. This week, the non-profit group Bread for the World issued its own report recommending strategies for the US to combat hunger. Bob Abernethy sat down with David Beckmann, Bread for the World ...

There is no generally agreed figure on the human cost of the crackdown in Myanmar on Buddhist monks and others protesting dictatorial rule. The mass exodus from the country, formally and more widely known as Burma, continues.

In Myanmar in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of Buddhist monks have been marching against the military government and where the regime has harshly cracked down.

In the 1970's, Evangelical Pastor Wayne Gordon moved into a high-crime area of Chicago. Members of the community told him they wanted to start a church, so Gordon founded the Lawndale Community Church.

An interpretation of Jesus' teachings that emphasizes wealth and prosperity seems to be spreading fast, especially in many African-American churches. But critics are calling the "prosperity gospel" a distortion of authentic Christian faith.

Few issues touch a raw nerve in American politics like gun control. But often the issue is not far below the surface in worship communities, particularly those frequently hit by gun violence.

Sara Miles used to be a journalist and an atheist. But she had a conversion experience and is now a leader in her church, Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco where she feeds all who wander in and provides them with a sense of consistency and comfort.

There is a group of Benedictine nuns in Missouri who bake and sell millions of Communion wafers, small and large. But some would-be communicants complained that they are allergic to the gluten in the wheat in the nun's wafers. So they could not receive Communion. For the sisters that was a challenge.

In many states around the country there are new, tough laws aimed at sexual predators who have abused children. No one opposes the intent to protect children, but in Georgia its new sex offender law is under attack by civil rights and religious activists who say the law is so broad and so harsh it ...

There's a battle underway in the state of Nevada over the proper use of water. Las Vegas wants water so it can keep growing. But farmers and ranchers fear Las Vegas's thirst will destroy their livelihood.

After the attack by Islamic radicals five years ago, American Muslims feared violent reprisals against them. Those did not happen, but today many Muslims in this country say they still feel that their neighbors don't trust them and that their government threatens them.

There are large numbers of babies dying in America's poorest neighborhoods. Ground zero for U.S. infant deaths is the poorest part of Memphis, Tennessee.

Popular in poorer neighborhoods, storefront churches preach love and gratitude. Often set up wherever space is available, these houses of worship have the unique capability to meet their worshippers right where they are.

Spain, once considered a European stronghold for the Roman Catholic Church, has become increasingly secular. The Church finds its spiritual and social influence throughout the country is in decline. It's estimated fewer than 20 percent of Spaniards now attend Mass regularly.

A government advisory committee recommended that 11- and 12-year-old girls be routinely vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The vaccine is most effective when it’s administered to girls before they become sexually active. But with the potential for ...

In Myanmar, which many still call Burma, military rulers allow no democracy or free speech and persecute religious minority groups. Human rights groups say there is a campaign of oppression that has resulted in almost a million and a half displaced people. Critics say the generals who control the ...

Expanding medical technologies continue to create a host of new ethical dilemmas. Researchers can now detect early in a pregnancy if a fetus has Down Syndrome. The condition usually results in some degree of physical and mental disability, and armed with that information, some expectant parents face ...

In some observant Jewish families, a little boy’s first haircut is more than just a haircut. It marks the beginning of not only his formal education but also his obligation to keep the commandments and perform mitzvoth — good deeds.

A new report says this year Americans gave record amounts of private charitable donations. Another report says Americans donated nearly $3 billion to post-hurricane relief efforts. Yet nearly four months after Hurricane Katrina, the magnitude of the destruction is still difficult to comprehend. In ...

In Germany, several of the concrete slabs at Berlin's memorial to the Holocaust were defaced by vandals. In spite of anti-semitic incidents and other difficulties, the number of Jews moving to Germany has been going up dramatically. Also growing are the accompanying efforts to help them recover a ...