Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Jan 5, 2015

Republicans will take full control of Capitol Hill when the 114th Congress is sworn in on Tuesday, but even with a political shift, there will be little change in the overall religious makeup of Congress, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.

Here are seven ways the religious makeup of Congress will (and won't) change.

1) More than nine in 10 members of the House and Senate (92 percent) are Christian; about 57 percent are Protestant while 31 percent are Catholic. The new Congress will include at least seven members who are ordained ministers.

Are Christian hashtags rallying the faithful or just luring trolls?

Culture

Nov 25, 2014

Standing on the sidewalk outside an imposing downtown church, Michael Corral carried a portable loudspeaker and a handmade wooden cross with an old-fashioned message: "REPENT & BELIEVE."

"They're twisting Scripture to see through their sins," he said, as a group of pro-LGBT evangelicals met inside.

Meanwhile, halfway across the country, conservative activist Eric Teetsel was monitoring the same conference from his home in Kansas, firing off 140-character tweets using the conference hashtag, #TRPinDC.

Russell Moore, Rick Warren to join Vatican conference on marriage and family life

Vatican

Nov 3, 2014

The Vatican will host religious leaders from across the religious spectrum for a conference where they are expected to defend traditional marriage.

Is California forcing churches to pay for abortions?

Politics

Oct 24, 2014

Religious groups are battling the state of California over whether employee health insurance plans require them to pay for abortions and some forms of contraception that some find immoral.

So is the state forcing churches to pay for abortions? It depends on who you ask.