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Weblog doesn't have access to the full study (which costs $40.85!), but one wonders about the effect of size: The Religious Right, at least as an organized force, is much larger than the Religious Left, so there may be more groups to disagree with. Another question is the effect of the current political climate: The Religious Right is seen as having significant political influence now, so they'll be arguing over which agenda items they should push for. The Religious Left can agree on a central agenda point for now: Get influence, and reduce the influence of the Religious Right.

4. The estrogen-driven church
More details on something that almost all churchgoers know already: Adult men don't tend to go to church, even if their kids do. Seven out of ten Hispanic men do not attend church with their children, compared with 64 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks, says a report on fatherhood from the National Center for Health Statistics, as reported by The Washington Times. In related news, Promise Keepers is apparently tweaking its message a bit. The aim is still "spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity," but right now the focus seems to be on Promise Five of its seven promises: "A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources." In other works, Promise Keepers is trying to get men back to church.

5. VeggieTales to launch another feature film
The cost of the first VeggieTales movie, Jonah, contributed to Big Idea's declaring bankruptcy in 2003. Now owned by Classic Media, VeggieTales is taking another run at the big screen. Universal Pictures will release The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie in early 2008. VeggieTales co-creator Mike Nawrocki (voice of Larry the Cucumber) will direct the film. The script is by Phil Vischer, who still works with VeggieTales as he runs the entertainment group Jellyfish.

Quote of the day:
"I wore jean shorts to the beach when I was a teenager. I was an insecure teenager and a born-again Christian hanging out with a group of kids that made me feel bad about showing my body. But I learned I shouldn't be ashamed of what God gave me."

—actress Jessica Alba, explaining to USA Today why she prefers bikinis to one-piece bathing suits.

Note
The stories below are from Thursday. We'll be posting Friday stories soon.

AIDS | Persecution | Church and state | Abortion | Research | Taylor crash | Crime | Abuse | Church life | Missions & ministry | People | Books | Da Vinci Code | Entertainment | Same-sex marriage | More on sexual ethics and family | Other stories of interest

AIDS :

1. African graft stings donors | A recent inquiry revealed gross misuse of AIDS donations in Uganda (The Christian Science Monitor)
   
   
2. A flagging commitment on AIDS | The AIDS epidemic turns 25 this week, and while new infections are declining in a few countries, the number of infected is still growing, especially among young women (Editorial, The New York Times)
   
   
3. Public health vs religion | Uganda was a beacon of hope in Africa's struggle against HIV, but the Christian right's grip on US policy is undermining this effort with fatal consequences (Oliver Duff, The Belfast Telegraph)
   
   

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June (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50