Thousands of churches will likely close down. What happens to all that real estate?

8 in 10 Americans say religion is losing influence in public life
Pew Research Center: A new survey finds that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking — a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been in our surveys. Most Americans who say religion’s influence is shrinking are not happy about it.
Pew Research Center: 5 facts about religion and Americans’ views of Donald Trump

 

Thousands of churches will likely close down. What happens to all that real estate?
Religion News Service: A new book called “Gone for Good” looks at the ways that churches could be reused for the public good in the future.

 

Congregations seek ways to turn empty convents into new ministries
National Catholic Reporter: In April, the first residents will begin moving into 100 units of affordable housing in a sustainable building that replaced two dormitories and a classroom. The land still belongs to the Holy Names sisters, but the apartments are a project of Mercy Housing, one of the nation’s largest affordable housing organizations.

 

Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan
Associated Press: While Muslim students remain a rarity in many U.S. school districts, they are a major presence in some communities, prompting public schools to be more attentive to their needs during the holy month of Ramadan when dawn-to-sundown fasting is a duty of Islam.

 

Germans thought they were immune to nationalism after confronting their Nazi past. They were wrong*
Time: Many Germans believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to outlaw persecution.