Seven in 10 Americans are very or moderately religious. Looking at demographic trends, Frank Newport, editor in chief for Gallup, predicts that Americans will become even more religious, on average, in the future.

In surveys conducted this year by Gallup, 40 percent of Americans can be categorized as "very religious," while 29 percent are "moderately religious" and 31 percent are nonreligious. Religiosity is measured by frequency of attendance at worship services and the importance of religion in the respondents' daily life. The sample of 326,721 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.

Among Newport's other findings, Americans become more religious as they age, women are more religious than men, the South is the most religious region, those with high levels of income and education are the least religious, and Republicans are more religious than Democrats, with one notable exception -- blacks are the most religious and the most Democratic of any race or ethnic group. more >>

Pastor Sheryl Brady recently spoke with The Christian Post about how Bishop T.D. Jakes impacted her life and helped her decide to take to the pulpit and lead a congregation. Brady was commissioned by Jakes to pastor The Potter's House of North Dallas less than two years ago. The church has grown from a few hundred congregants to a few thousand.

In her debut book released in the fall, You Have It In You!: Empowered to do the Impossible, Brady shares "her journey and those of others who have felt ill-prepared for the challenges ahead of them. Yet when faced with adversary, each was able to find the strength to overcome and succeed," her publishers said.

"Believe [in God] for the impossible, the unimaginable, the unobtainable, and the incurable," writes Brady in her book. "Each time we trust him with another layer of our lives, we discover more of the buried treasure of our true identities." more >>

A church in Kentucky that was founded in a bar will soon be celebrating its first anniversary of operation.

Gospel Light Baptist Church of Hazard, headed by Pastor Chris Fugate, will observe a "charter service" in honor of the milestone this coming Sunday. Formerly, Gospel Light's facility had been TJ's Hillbilly Palace Bar until a year ago, when the new church was planted by Clays Mill Road Baptist Church of Lexington.

Pastor Fugate, an active state trooper, has overseen the church since its inception and has been noted as an evangelist who oversaw a policemen's prayer group. more >>

A growing evangelical church in Arizona has purchased its third campus, a sanctuary constructed in 1927 and formerly owned by a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

City of Grace, which already has campuses in Mesa and Scottsdale, bought the Historic First Presbyterian Church of Phoenix property earlier this year and is presently renovating the facility.

Terry Crist, senior pastor at City of Grace, told The Christian Post that the purchase of the Phoenix-based property was years in the making. more >>

A national men's ministry led by author and pastor Kenny Luck is expanding an ongoing campaign in hopes of re-engaging Christian men within the church and helping them lead spiritually healthy lives. The "Sleeping Giant" movement is aimed at fulfilling God's plan for men to become strong leaders in their families, communities, and the world.

"Men's Ministry has been waiting 20 years for this. Every Man Ministries and Sleeping Giant are providing the flame for the next generation of leadership to ignite a new movement of men within the local church," said Randy Phillips, former president of Promise Keepers and currently the men's pastor at Life Church Austin.

"Kenny Luck has produced a transferable and proven model which is easily accessible and affordable for every church. The Sleeping Giant Total Solution is going to expand the capacity of the local church to reach and develop its men in a strategic and revolutionary way not seen before because it is uniquely built to drive the vision of the senior pastor," Phillips said. more >>

An Iranian evangelical pastor has stated that eventually the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a "Christian country," even amid increased state-sponsored persecution.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat, founder of Iran Alive Ministries, told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins these things at an event sponsored by the FRC on Wednesday. "Iran will be a Christian country, and that's not up to me. It's Jeremiah 49:38 [that] promises that. We are moving in that direction fast," said Shariat.

"There is a spiritual vacuum in Iran and people are hungry spiritually. That's when we share the Gospel, share the Word of God through television people sit there for hours, take notes." more >>