PBS’ “Faith and Reason” series has tackled several issues involved with the confluence of science and religion. The website offers resources on several of the topics the series has covered.

Many religion reporters also write about spiritual movements and ethical concerns. What sorts of stories like that should a religion writer do? By Richard Scheinin San Jose Mercury News To write stories about spiritual movements, look for the telltale “signs” of religion-the quest for transcendence we hear so much about these days, the attempt to […]

The U.S. Adoption and Safe Families Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in 1997.

Which resources are essential for a religion writer to own? By Laurie Goodstein The New York Times Speak softly and carry a long letter opener. You’re going to need it. Being on the religion beat means being snowed under by mail, magazines, public relations paraphernalia and books. The challenge is to make sure you’re reading […]

What role should religious demographics play and what are the best sources for such demographics? By Jeffrey Weiss The Dallas Morning News To answer this question, you need to start by considering two others: What do my readers want to know? What do they need to know? What do they want to know? Most people […]

It seems religion writers deal more in theory than fact. How does a good reporter write an accurate story when people’s understanding of truth differs? By Susan Hogan/Albach The Dallas Morning News* Never take at face value that anyone has the truth about Scripture. Most religious traditions disagree over how to interpret sacred texts. Just […]

What special issues and concerns do religion writers keep in mind when writing about the religions of ethnic minorities? By Kim Sue Lia Perkes Freelance Writer A quick review of the most recent U.S. Census shows how much the demographics of the United States have changed. Whereas white Americans were once the nation’s majority, the […]

How do religion writers cope with organizational, stylistic and cultural differences in the people they write about? By Ira Rifkin Freelance Writer My first experience with Messianic Jews occurred soon after I started on the religion beat. What I lacked in sensitivity at the time I made up for with arrogance. Messianic Judaism offended my […]

Do religion reporters face issues of balance and fairness that are different from other beats? By Kim Sue Lia Perkes Freelance Writer For religion reporters, the issue of balance is often more complicated than other beats because stories that deal with theology are about beliefs and not proven facts. So how does one discern what […]