The weekly Resurgence Roundup brings together some of the most interesting content we’ve found online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach. Keep in mind, we don’t endorse or agree with everything you’ll see included in the roundup.

The United States of Agnostics

The Atlantic:
Gallup has released new data on religious observance in the United States . . . . [and] it’s pretty easy to guess which states are America’s most religious: The most fervent states are almost all southern, with the notable exception of Mormon Utah. But the geography of the “nones”—people who said that religion wasn’t an important part of their lives and that they rarely or never attend services—is a little more interesting.

Kids as young as 13 rescued from Super Bowl prostitution

USA Today:
High school students, teens as young as 13 and other children reported missing by their families were among 16 juveniles rescued from forced prostitution during Super Bowl festivities in and around New Jersey, the FBI said Tuesday. Authorities arrested more than 45 pimps and their helpers, some of whom said they traveled to the New York region to traffic the women and juveniles at the NFL championship at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Is religion losing ground to sports?

Washington Post:
While teams and fans are building powerful, cohesive communities — think Red Sox Nation or the legions of University of Alabama faithful who greet one another with “Roll Tide” — churches are losing followers. . . . Sports are clearly attracting strong adherents as religion is shedding them. This raises the question: Are Americans shifting their spiritual allegiances away from praying places and toward playing places?

Eastern Europe’s Christian Reawakening

First Things:
In Hungary, Croatia, and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, a pro-family, pro-life revolution and a rediscovery of Christian roots is occurring. While few in the American media have noticed, this trend should challenge those who simply lament Europe’s moral malaise. Unnoticed in the shadow of a secularized west, religion’s public role has been growing in the east since the collapse of communism.

U.S. abortion rate hits lowest level since 1973

Reuters:
The abortion rate in the United States dipped to its lowest since 1973, coinciding with a steep decline in overall pregnancy and birth rates, a study from a nonprofit sexual health organization showed on Sunday. The rate declined to 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in 2011, the latest year studied, which was well below the 1981 peak of 29.3 per 1,000 and the lowest since 1973 when the rate was 16.3 per 1,000, the study from Guttmacher Institute showed.

Bill Nye’s Reasonable Man—The Central Worldview Clash of the Ham-Nye Debate

Albert Mohler:
[Tuesday’s] debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham attracted a huge international audience and no shortage of controversy—even before it began. Bill Nye, whose main media presence is as “The Science Guy,” and Ken Ham, co-founder of Answers in Genesis and founder of the Creation Museum, squared off in a true debate.

Muslim Public School Holidays Will Be Observed In New York City, Says Mayor de Blasio

Huffington Post:
Muslim families in New York City have been requesting official recognition for Islamic holidays in public schools for years now, but they may finally see some changes under new Mayor Bill de Blasio. On Monday he discussed the issue on the Brian Lehrer Show, declaring that he planned to move forward with closing schools for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, as well as for the Lunar New Year.

Transgender Students Get New Options in California

Wall Street Journal:
School districts in California are grappling with a newly enacted, first-of-its-kind law that spells out rights for those students who don’t identify as being the gender of their birth. California law AB 1266, the first such statewide legislation in the country, grants students who identify themselves as transgender the right to choose the sports teams and extracurricular activities—as well as the bathrooms and locker rooms—that correspond to their gender identities.

Mass Mobs Fill Pews, Lift Prayers At Ny Churches

Associated Press:
Playing off the idea of using social media to summon crowds for parties or mischief, mobs of Buffalo-area Roman Catholics have been filling pews and lifting spirits at some of the city’s original, now often sparsely attended, churches.

Back to (Divinity) School

Wall Street Journal:
Students under 30 still make up the largest age cohort in seminaries, according to the Association of Theological Schools. But older students are growing in representation among 74,000 or so students pursuing a seminary degree from an institution associated with the agency that accredits graduate schools of theology.

How Facebook changed our lives

USA Today:
One of the world’s most popular social networks celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. We look back at how Facebook went from a project built in a college dorm to a tech powerhouse with more than 1 billion users.