Nearly 90 percent of Americans say a church should be “easily identifiable,” and 8 of 10 say they want the building to “reflect the beauty of God.” There are some, to be sure, who prefer that churches feel modern (38%) and trendy (28%), but most Americans want religious spaces that feel more timeless and transcendent. (Silliman, Christianity Today)
Read MoreAccording to the National Survey of Religious Leaders, 78% of white evangelical clergy reject the assertion that human actions are the cause of climate change. By contrast, only 27% of Black Protestant clergy and 21% of liberal or mainline Protestant clergy reject it. (Shimron, Religion News Service)
Read MoreFinland is named the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday. Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order. (Grieshaber, AP News)
Read MoreWitches have been enjoying something of a revival, and not only because of “Wicked,” the hit musical film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The “witchtok” hashtag on TikTok has millions of posts, as users flock to witchcraft’s moody aesthetic, as well as to its emphasis on alternative healing and nature-centered spirituality. (Nazaryan, The New York Times)
Read MoreFour Augustinian friars have swapped their life of prayer for a sit-in protest that could see them jailed in a battle over the conversion of their historic monastery into a luxury retirement home. They are threatening to barricade themselves inside the Santo Spirito monastery in Florence. (Kington, The Times)
Read MoreThe U.S. is making progress against one of its most devastating public health threats: drug overdoses. Over the 12 months ending in October 2024, the country saw a 25% decline in overdose deaths compared with the same period the year prior, according to the latest preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 82,000 overdose deaths were reported. (Wernau and Abbott, The Wall Street Journal)
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