Numbers swell with each passing generation, the report finds. Many join Protestant denominations. The mistaken killing of a missionary and her daughter in Peru underscores the serious peril that many face.
Believers say that fearlessness is the essence of their calling.
Declaring he could no longer stand on the sidelines, a Los Angeles Lutheran bishop has defied his church's constitution and joined in ordaining a lesbian as a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The last time Athena Macapagal made headlines on the University of British Columbia campus was when she worked with controversial antiabortion activists to erect giant grisly photos of aborted fetuses. President says spiritual liberty must be 'a guiding doctrine' in U.S. dealings with foreign nations. With the success of the megachurch, some small congregations feel pressure to measure success by the numbers. But others emphasize participation and intimacy as marks of a healthy community.