After Dobbs, are pro-life laws really saving lives? Here’s why leaders of the movement are focusing on state birthrates over national abortion estimates.
God intended Sabbath for everyone—not just those who are economically stable enough to take time off.
A new book invites Christians to grapple with the problem of power (and whether we can really reject it).
The true inventor of gospel rock: Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Behind the story
From Kate Shellnutt: When I read the headlines about abortion trends after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I imagined the most straightforward measure: comparing an annual tally of abortions in each state 12 months prior to 12 months after the Supreme Court ruling. But it’s not that easy. Researchers rely on projections, calculated based on partial or preliminary data, and even those estimates are lagging by a half-year or more.
After seeing that pro-lifers see state birthrates as a better gauge, I went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site to find stats to display in a graph in Tuesday’s article. About 40 browser tabs and three Excel spreadsheets later, I couldn’t track down exactly what I was looking for—the data was either not out yet, or it was national but not statewide, or it was annual but not monthly. I gave up.
As much as we love data to hook and back up our stories, my failed search was a reminder of how complicated the statistics can be. They’re still helpful, but it’s important to acknowledge what we know and what we don’t. Like some experts on both sides say in the article—it may be too soon to capture the full effect of the wave of new abortion bans.
In other news
Religious young people in Germany want to have 0.4 more children, on average, than their secular counterparts.
The only Baptist church in Gaza has suffered severe damage in the war.
Conservative Mennonite groups that have relied on the King James Version of the Bible are working on a new, updated New Testament.
The religious history of the horror films that launched Nigeria’s film industry.
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