Get oriented

LEARN A LITTLE—OR A LOT—FAST. Surf the World Wide Web for blogs, sites and information about current topics in religion. Read national and local religious magazines and newspapers — Tricycle, Sojourners, Hinduism Today, Minaret, Christianity Today, Charisma, Christian Century, National Catholic Reporter, The Forward, and Science & Spirit, among them — for windows into what religious communities care about. Pay attention to movies, books, television shows, computer games and other places that religious themes show up. Sign up for email newsletters to help you spot trends in religion. Among them:
• Christianity Today’s CT Direct daily email includes news and commentary from an evangelical perspective.
• The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life distributes a free weekly email with news, surveys and expert opinions about issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.
• Sightings, a twice-weekly email from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago, reports and comments on religion in public life,mostly from a mainline Protestant perspective.
• Crosswalk.com’s Religion Today summarizes news from around the world.

Get out

Out where people of faith gather, that is. That could be a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, book store, quilting group, sports field, festival, conference or meditation center. Click here for tips on visiting places of worship.