Read a Jan. 25, 2011, story from The Wall Street Journal about how Christians responded to decreased giving and economic hardship during the recession.

Read a Jan. 31, 2011, story from Christianity Today about how Christians are responding to decreased giving to churches.

Read a March 3, 2011, column at Patheos.com by a self-described progressive pastor, Bruce Epperly, who plans to go to a spa on Ash Wednesday and focus on enjoying the wonders of the everyday world.

Read  a Feb. 25, 2011 Catholic News Service story on an environmental approach to lent.

Read a Feb. 28, 2011, Religion News Service story about new approaches to marking Lent, including reducing greenhouse gases or abstaining from social networking sites like Facebook.

Creighton University, a Catholic institution in Omaha, Neb., offers an online Lenten retreat with African refugees.

Catholic publisher Loyola Press in Chicago offers a wide variety of online Lenten resources, among them a retreat and a Holy Week devotional based on the seven last words of Christ. Contact Director of communications at Loyola is Molly Hart.

Melanie Hardison works with the Enough for Everyone Project and serves at the national level for the Presbyterian Church.

North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light, one of a network of faith-based environmental groups around the country, invites people to “fast from carbon” during Lent – to work seriously to reduce the carbon dioxide they release into the atmosphere by doing such things as driving less, producing less garbage and asking elected officials to support […]