LANCASTER, Pa. — Greetings from Amish country.
I wrote this while in Pennsylvania for the Evangelical Press Association’s 2023 Christian Media Convention.
Let’s check out the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
What to know: The big story
A declining demographic: Once upon a time in America, the phrase “Latino Catholic” seemed almost superfluous.
However, new research released this week details just how much that has changed.
The Wall Street Journal’s Francis X. Rocca reports:
The study by the Pew Research Center found that the percentage of Catholic Latinos fell to 43% in 2022 from 67% in 2010. The share of evangelical Protestants among U.S. Latinos remained relatively stable at 15%, compared with 12%. But the proportion of Latinos with no religious affiliation is now up to 30% from 10%, bringing it to about the same level as that of the U.S. population as a whole.
The tendency to identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” is especially strong among young Latinos, as with young Americans in general. About half of U.S. Latinos ages 18 to 29 identify themselves that way.
Crux’s John Lavenburg notes:
Even with the decreases, Latinos are about twice as likely as U.S. adults overall to identify as Catholic. However, the data within that 43 percent shows the potential impacts of a secularized U.S. culture on Latino Catholics, and paints a bleak picture for the future if the trends continue.
Political angle: The Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner suggests that evangelical Hispanics — despite “relatively stable” numbers — have a rising profile:
This is due in part, the research group said, to the political activism of some evangelical churches, but also because “a rising share of Latino voters” have cast their ballots for Republican candidates in recent elections.
Religion News Service’s Alejandra Molina cites “the clergy sexual abuse scandal, a lack of LGBTQ inclusivity and the rule that women can’t be priests” as reasons Latinos are leaving the Catholic Church.
The wider trend: Back at the Wall Street Journal, Rocca explains:
The pattern presents a contrast with that in Latin America, where the Catholic Church has also been losing ground, but more commonly to evangelical and Pentecostal Protestantism than to no religion at all.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Cries for Covenant: Journalists for The Tennessean “visited more than three dozen religious services, finding hope, resilience and admonishments for action” after the mass shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, Tenn.
Liam Adams and Keith Sharon led the project.
Read a related story on Tennessee’s faith communities grappling with their grief and anger over the shooting.
2. Inside Hillsdale College: The New Yorker’s Emma Green delves into “The Christian liberal arts college at the heart of the culture wars.”
“Come for theories on why young conservatives always end up Catholic,” Green suggests. “Stay for theories about why Hillsdale explains today's American right.”
3. Faith, family and fastballs: When it comes to Clayton Kershaw, star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, God is a big part of the story.
Mike Piellucci’s profile of the longtime Dallas resident for D Magazine reflects that important aspect of Kershaw’s life.
CONTINUE READING: “Losing Their Religion: Latino Catholic Population On The Decline In US“ by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.