Jesus said that we would always have the poor among us - but that we should also be cognizant of, and responsive to their needs. This week's Barna Update takes a look at what Americans believe about poverty and how they typically respond to its presence. It explore perceptions of how widespread poverty is; whether it's perceived to be getting better or worse; who is most responsible for dealing with poverty; how many people interact with the poor; and what people do to try to alleviate poverty and its effects. Do Christians respond to poverty any differently than non-Christians?

A quick reminder about TODAY's deadline for the BEST Rates for the Catalyst Conference. June 28th (TODAY) is the LAST Day to take advantage of saving BIG on Catalyst tickets. Call 888-334-6569 or email us at concierge@catalystspace.com and we will get you set up.

University of Texas researchers found that college attendance appears to prevent young adults from losing their religion, contrary to common assumptions that students leave the church or their faith during their college years. Surprisingly the research discovered those who never attended college have the highest rates of decline in church attendance (76.2%), diminished importance placed on religion (23.7%), and disaffiliation from religion (20.3%). Students who earned at least a bachelor's degree, had the lowest rates on those factors with 59.2% indicating decreased church attendance and 15% placing less importance on religion and disaffiliating from religion. 62% of Evangelical Protestant young adults attend a religious service less often than they did as adolescents, but just 19% indicate a decline in the importance of religion and 16% disaffiliate from religion. Only religious participation suffers substantial declines in young adulthood, researchers noted. 82% of college students maintain at least a static level of personal religiosity in early adulthood and 86% retain their religious affiliation. So, are colleges really a breeding ground for vital religious practice and teaching?

Check out some recent thoughts from Catalyst speaker and friend Craig Groeschel, as he writes on whether a pastor should try to be edgy or not. What is more important- edginess or effectiveness? Check out his blog here.

"A city stripped of advertising. No Posters. No flyers. No ads on buses. No ads on trains. No Adshels, no 48-sheets, no nothing." Sao Paulo, Brazil, had had enough. Tired of the 'visual pollution,' of a city littered with ads and more than 8,000 billboards, the city's mayor Gilberto Kassab simply said no more and placed a ban on outdoor advertising. But the decision has not come without strong debate on both sides of the issue: The law was hailed by writer Roberto Pompeu de Toledo as "a rare victory of the public interest over private, of order over disorder, aesthetics over ugliness, of cleanliness over trash... For once, all that is accustomed to coming out on top in Brazil has lost." Thanks to our friends at Brewing Culture for the information.