A few church members believe this QAnon conspiracy theory that Tom Hanks is the head of a Hollywood pedophile ring. So he's no longer just dealing with congregants who are mad that he has tested them and their conservative beliefs on issues like Trump and Black Lives Matter. Now he's encountering some of these conservative beliefs that are basically the product of misinformation kind of an alternate reality.
Evangelicals make up about a quarter of the population in the United States and are part of the nation’s largest religious group. But lately the movement is in crisis.
The biggest issue is church attendance. Many churches closed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and struggled to reopen while congregations thinned.
But a smaller audience isn’t the only problem: Pastors are quitting, or at least considering doing so.
Guest: Ruth Graham is a national correspondent covering religion, faith and values for The New York Times.
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