Read “Why I lead an online synagogue,” an Oct. 4, 2010, column at CNN.com’s Belief Blog by Rabbi Laura Baum, head of OurJewishCommunity.org.

Read “Facebook rules for pastors,” an Oct. 5, 2010, post at the blog of The Christian Century magazine by Adam J. Copeland, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hallock, Minn.

In September 2009, two Gordon College professors published research on how students at evangelical colleges use social networking and its impact on them. The study is called “Pulling Off the Mask: The Impact of Social Networking Activities on Evangelical Christian College Students,” and the two researchers, Bryan Auday, professor of psychology, and Sybil Coleman, professor […]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued guidelines for the use of social networks among Catholics.

Read the text of Pope Benedict’s message for the 45th annual World Communications Day, titled “Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age.” The Pope said new media and social networks offered “a great opportunity,” but he warned of the risks of having more virtual friends than real ones, saying that “it is always important […]

Read a Jan. 21, 2011, news release from LifeWay Research about Protestant congregations using Facebook and other social networking tools. Nearly half of Protestant churches use Facebook, while 40 percent do not use any social networking tools. However, the trend seems to be toward greater adoption of social networking tools.

Read a Feb. 27, 2011 story from the San Jose Mercury News, which covers Silicon Valley, about the increasing number of religious apps available to iPhone users.

Kristin Henderson is an author, Quaker and wife of a Navy chaplain. Her books include While They’re At War: The True Stories of American Families on the Homefront (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).

CNN.com maintains an interactive map that shows the names and hometowns of all U.S. military casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.