A federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on teenage sexual activity and contraceptive use.

Written by Randall Balmer (Basic Books, 2006). Balmer, an evangelical Christian, writes about what he believes has been the hijacking of the Christian faith on behalf of the Republican Party.

A report from the national Center for Health Statistics that includes figures on sexual behavior among U.S. teens. It says, among other things, that 25 percent of 15-year-old boys have had vaginal intercourse, and the figure jumps to 62 percent for 18-year-old males. The corresponding figures for girls were 26 percent and 70 percent, respectively.

Written by David Kuo (Free Press, 2006). Kuo, who served as George W. Bush’s deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, discusses his path of disillusionment as he tried to blend faith and politics in the Bush White House.

Akinyele Umoja is a professor of African-American studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He attributes the popularity of Kwanzaa to its nonreligious nature.

Jan. 20, 2012, Seattle Post Intelligencer article about myriad accusations of hypocrisy leveled against then-candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination Newt Gingrich over his touting of family values while failing to live by similar standards in his personal life.

Ama Mazama is a professor in the African-American studies department at Temple University in Philadelphia. She wrote a book about Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa ou la Célébration du Génie Africain, that was published in France in 2006.

Do editors only want controversial religion stories? By David Gibson The Star-Ledger* Most editors are somewhat schizoid when it comes to religion coverage. They want Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah stories one day. Then the next day they want the embezzling priest nabbed in a sex scandal. Why? Because “crime” stories have a built-in immunity […]

Monsignor Arturo J. Bañuelas is the pastor of St. Mark’s Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. He founded the Tepeyac Institute and is nationally known for his expertise on border issues and culture. Bañuelas edited Mestizo Christianity: Theology from the Latino Perspective (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2004).