News

Go Figure

Recent numbers on female senior pastors, abortion, and the megachurch.

10% Senior pastors of Protestant churches who are female, double the proportion of a decade ago. 58% Of all female senior pastors, those who are in mainline churches. 23% Of all male pastors, those who are in mainline churches. Source: Barna Research

*  *  *

8% Self-described liberal Democrats who say abortion is a critical issue. 34% Liberal Democrats who said this a year ago. Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

*  *  *

47% Americans who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, 54% Americans who said this last year. Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

*  *  *

34% Megachurch pastors who are involved with a sports league outside their church 32% Megachurch pastors who are part of a denomination. Source: Leadership Network

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Related Elsewhere:

See our earlier Go Figure postings from October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, June 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, and earlier issues.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

News

Songs of Justice, Missions of Mercy

Mark Moring

Excerpt

'Tithing' by Douglas LeBlanc

An excerpt by Douglas LeBlanc

A Middle Way

Joel Hartse

Review

Mourning as Gospel Drama

Rob Moll

Quick Media Takes

My Top 5 Movies on Thankfulness

Annie Young Frisbie, CT Movies critic and blogger at SuperFastReader.com

The Green Baptist

Tim Stafford

The Next Redesign

'A Voice for Sanity'

Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Trees Of Life

Deann Alford in the Dominican Republic

Review

The Cleaner

Todd Hertz

Christ at the Center

Wilson's Bookmarks

'O, Evangelicos!'

The Best and Worst New Tech

Brad Abare, Mark Kellner, and John Dyer

Readers Write

News

A Different Kind of Neighbor

Mark Moring

News

Beauty Will Rise

Mark Moring

News

Less Charity, More Justice

Mark Moring

News

Clean Water, Clean Blood

Mark Moring

My Top 5 Books on Life Ethics

Paige C. Cunningham, executive director, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

Review

Mystic with a Spreadsheet

The Mushroom Hunt

Chris Armstrong

Let us Tell You a Story

Chris Armstrong

Matrix: International Religious Liberty Advocates

Editorial

Looking for Clear Signals

A Christianity Today Editorial

News

Most Improbable Dialogue

Richard N. Ostling

News

Not All Evangelicals and Catholics Together

Collin Hansen

News

The Litmus Test

Charles Honey

News

Splitting Babies

Ken Walker

News

Nigeria: Christian Movie Capital of the World

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

News

Should Christians Fast During Ramadan With Muslims?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

Sin: The Rest of the Story

News

Quotation Marks

Destiny or Free Will?

Todd Hertz

News

Mass Arrest: Christianity and the Deadly Mexico Drug War

American Idols

Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

View issue

Our Latest

News

Pew: ‘Christian Nationalism’ Is Becoming a Household Term

Jack Panyard

Perceptions of religious influence in public life hit a 24-year high as Americans see blurring lines between church and state.

Navigating 1984

Evangelicals were optimistic about the global church, afraid of artificial intelligence, and had questions about megachurches.

Building a Platform for God—or Using God to Build Your Platform?

Drew Brown

Pastors can be tempted by the twin enticements of wealth and fame, but praise God for shepherds laboring in faithful obscurity.

Just War Debates Reveal Our Moral Poverty

This tradition still speaks the language of virtue, a tongue our society has largely lost.

Public Theology Project

What I Learned Teaching the Same Book Twice—20 Years Apart

When I first taught through Hebrews, I understood doctrine and discipline but not disappointment and disillusionment.

You Can’t Love the Church in the Abstract

Matthew D. Love

It’s easy to say you love the church universal, the whole bride of Christ. But Scripture unmistakably calls us to love the local congregation too.

Gen Z Isn’t Asking Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Jared Dodson

Christians have long asked how a good God can let evil happen. My students want to know when the evil will get their due.

How God Helps Me Eat on $33 Per Week

It’s a very faith-stretching way to get by, compared to trusting in a salary and benefits.

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