False Sense of Maturity

It has all the makings of a reality show: president-elect Obama is suspected to be looking for a church near the White House, and there are many eager contestants:

Churches in Washington, D.C., have started extending invitations to President-elect Barack Obama and his family, touting their African-American roots, their ties to presidents past and to Obama himself.

The choices are abundant. Numerous, thriving congregations are an easy walk from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Just across Lafayette Square from the White House is St. John’s Church, an Episcopal parish known as the “Church of the Presidents,” where presidents as far back as James Madison have worshipped. St. John’s has a standing invitation: Pew 54 is the President’s Pew, reserved for the nation’s leader.

I’d like to see him eliminate one church a week in the style of The Bachelor or Flavor of Love. But instead of giving out the advancing churches a rose or giant clock necklace, he could hand out mini crucifixes, or maybe a page that he rips out of a Bible. Or better yet, if Obama wants to be certain to avoid another Rev. Wright type fiasco, he could stop going to church permanently.

A new study shows that some teens who attend religious services are less depressed than is typical, yet teens from some minority groups are more depressed:

Previous research has shown that teens who are active in religious services are depressed less often because it provides these adolescents with social support and a sense of belonging.

But new research has found that this does not hold true for all adolescents, particularly for minorities and some females. The study found that white and African-American adolescents generally had fewer symptoms of depressive at high levels of religious participation. But for some Latino and Asian-American adolescents, attending church more often was actually affecting their mood in a negative way.

Asian-American adolescents who reported high levels of participation in their church had the highest number of depressive symptoms among teens of their race.

This just in from CNN, read the story here.

Members of the church said a man entered the building at about 10:15 a.m. and began shooting during a children’s production of the musical “Annie.” About 200 people in the church were watching the production, which was being put on by 25 children, the AP reported.

**Here’s a newly added link. Apparently the church had a very liberal attitude and this guy hated liberals and “gays” and left a four page note.

More women than men are attending church services:

Churches nationwide are fretting and sweating to reel men into their sanctuaries on Sundays.

Women outnumber men in attendance in every major Christian denomination, and they are 20% to 25% more likely to attend worship at least weekly.

Theories abound on why this happens, but one author thinks men need a more “epic” environment: