funding news weekly. dedicated to its founders, community development and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america. designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. analysts say continued strong support from white evangelicals helped propel republican victories in this week's mid-term elections. about 26% of voters self-identified as white evangelical or born-again christians. they voted overwhelmingly for gop candidates, which was a key factor in several senate races, especially in the south. smaller majorities of other protestants and catholics also went republican, as did those who say they attend religious services at least once a week. majorities of jews, people of other religions, and those with no religious affiliation voted democratic. after a recent string of court decisions supporting same-sex marriage, the sixth u.s. circuit court of appeals this week took the opposite stand and upheld gay marriage bans in four states -- ohio, michigan, kentucky and tennessee. this puts new pressure on the supreme court to finally take up a case that will decide whether gay marriage bans are indeed constitutional. religious freedom is under fire in 60% of the world's nations, according to a new report from the international catholic charity aid to the church in need. it says anti-christian persecution in some countries has reached "catastrophic levels." in england, prince charles called on religious leaders to do more. >> rather than remaining silent, faith leaders have, it seems to me, a responsibility to ensure that people within their own tradition respect people from other faith traditions. religious groups around the world are protesting the brutal murder this week in pakistan of a young christian husband and wife accused of blasphemy. neighbors said they saw the wife, who was illiterate, desecrating the quran. their family denied it, but the two were locked in the brick kiln where they worked and beaten to death by a mob, which then burned their bodies. police have arrested dozens of people accused of being responsible for the attack. in jerusalem, tensions are escalating at the old city's al aqsa mosque compound. the site is sacred to muslims and also jews who call it the temple mount. palestinians and israeli security forces clashed again this week after a group of jewish extremists illegally entered the compound to pray. jews are allowed into the compound but may not worship there. last month, an activist pushing for greater jewish access was shot and seriously wounded. missionary doctor and ebola survivor kent brantly continued to plead for more aid to fight the ebola crisis in west africa. this week, the group brantly is part of, samaritan's purse, packed 90 tons of supplies headed for liberia. the international relief group plans to set up 15 new community centers to combat the deadly virus. brantly also expressed concern that american medical workers won't volunteer to help for fear of being quarantined when they return to the u.s. pope francis raised eyebrows yet again, this time for floating the idea of marriage annulments at no cost. francis revealed he had dismissed a church official for selling annulments for thousands of dollars. he said, "we have to be careful that the procedure does not become some kind of business." many catholics have been calling for reforms, complaining that the annulment process is too expensive and complicated. in ft. lauderdale, florida, a controversial new ordinance restricting public feeding of the homeless is generating national debate. this week, two ministers and a 90-year-old antihunger activist, arnold abbott, were arrested after they handed out food in a public park. the three face up to 60 days in jail. many businesses and residents supported the new restriction, saying rising numbers of homeless people were making some public areas inaccessible. abbott says the police yelled at him, "drop that plate." we have a story today from saul gonzalez about the mosaic church in hollywood. it's designed to appeal to millennials, young people in their 20s, primarily, who have no ties with any traditional religion or church or doctrine but who are deeply interested in finding meaning for their lives. the mosaic church has become a model for other efforts around the nation. >> reporter: visit hollywood boulevard at night, and this is what you probably expect to see -- city lights and glittering marquees and crowds looking for a bit of tinseltown glamour. and just steps from all the tourist attractions there's this place. with its dj blasting electronic dance music on stage and its young and very hip crowd moving to the beat, you might think this is a trendy hollywood night club. but this is mosaic church, a christian house of worship that focuses on ministering to the millennial generation. these are men and women born in the 1980s and '90s and who came of age in the first years of the 21st century. young crowd? >> really young. the average age is about 26 years old, maybe 75% to 80% of them are single, so it's a hugely single community. the bulk of our community is probably between the ages of 20 and 34. >> reporter: erwin mcmanus is mosaic church's founder and pastor and a man who's spent his religious career connecting faith to young adults, many of whom grew up with no strong religious beliefs. but mcmanus says they're searching for a deeper meaning for their lives. >> you have a generation that is saying we are tapping out of religion in many ways. but what they are not saying is that we are tapping out of a serious search for meaning in life. they are not tapping out of a deep spirituality. in fact, if anything there is an incredible and profound hunger in millennials saying if there is something beyond this life i want to connect to it. >> reporter: most americans in their 20s still describe themselves as religious, but according to a poll by the pew research center and "religion & ethics newsweekly," one in three millennials has no affiliation with any house of worship. but that doesn't rule out their embrace of religious beliefs and practices. experts say the millennials just want to come to faith on their own terms. >> millennials, if you had to sum them up in a word, you'd sum them up in terms of choice. millennials are the most interested in choice. they see it as their american right. >> reporter: and that includes faith? >> absolutely that includes faith. >> reporter: brie laskota is managing director for the center for religion and civic culture at the university of southern california. she says millennials, especially those in urban areas, often reject strict religious classifications and are more likely than their parents or grandparents did to customize their spiritual identities by drawing from a variety of faiths. >> you see new forms of hybridity, so i am a "jew-bu," a jewish-buddhist, or i'm a "budeo-christian." some of my favorite ones, these kind of mash-ups of religious identity that are really unique. people look at that and say they are so individualistic that all religion will fall. and i think there is a more interesting question, which is how is religion being reconstituted in the 21st century that doesn't look like it looked in 1950? >> reporter: laskota says mosaic church and other houses of worship like it represent a new face of 21st-century american faith, with their youth-friendly emphasis on self-expression and creating a sense of community in a relaxed, even party atmosphere. at mosaic that atmosphere often includes potluck meals outside the church and playing games before worship services begin. it's those kind of things that attracted 24-year-old james david to mosaic. he's an aspiring singer who often uses his talents to perform on mosaic's stage. >> i can say that for or me whenever i step foot into a church i want to feel that i am welcomed and that i am seen, especially being in your 20s that's what you want anywhere you go. for me the cool thing is going to a church where i feel seen and loved and appreciated. i am having a conversation with someone versus someone is talking to me or at me. >> reporter: mosaic also attracts people who've lost touch with their own families' religious traditions. >> it's the first time that i come to a church like this. the language here is very unique. it is very easy to digest. >> reporter: fabiana braga, who grew up catholic in brazil, says she feels much more comfortable in this environment, both because of her fellow parishioners and the tone set by pastor mcmanus. >> he talks about freedom. there are a lot of people who come here. the pastor is amazing. the environment is amazing. you meet a lot of interesting people. it's the first time i connected spirituality with art. i've never seen anything like that, and this is so cool. >> reporter: as he bounds on stage for worship service and greets his congregation, both those sitting in the auditorium and watching on the web, the stylish mcmanus looks like he could be hosting a television talent show like "american idol." his sermons often focus on how millennials should reject the values of their elders, especially if those values clash with their own ideals. >> you should absolutely refuse to allow yourself to keep ushering in the old world. and do you know when you allow the old world to steal from you the new world? when you choose bitterness. when you chose greed. when you choose anger and hatred and racism. when we choose to be less, we drag the old world with us, which is sort of tragic since we are the creators of the new. >> reporter: but as they search for meaning, mcmanus also acknowledges that millennials, like those in his congregation, have been shaped by materialism, pop culture, and technology like no other previous generation. even as he preaches, it's easy to spot people in the congregation busily texting and checking their social media feeds on their smartphones. mcmanus says faith must increasingly compete with these distractions, and he thinks one of the best ways to do it is by making religion entertaining, like what happens at mosaic. >> isn't that a part of the problem? that we have equated the sacred with the mundane, or the spiritual with the monotonous? so when people say, "aren't you just entertaining them?" i say, "wait a minute." the world "entertain" means to hold someone's attention, and what we want is a faith that is vibrant and alive and beautiful and real. >> reporter: but critics of houses of worship like mosaic say they too often sacrifice traditional beliefs and moral instruction in favor of creating a fun environment. they also argue that pastors like mcmanus downplay their positions on controversial social issues, such as abortion and same sex marriage, for fear of alienating their young, often more socially progressive congregants. in our conversation with him, mcmanus acknowledged that he often does steer clear of divisive issues like gay marriage. >> yeah, you see i don't ever come out and say, "i am pro-same-sex marriage" or "i am against same-sex marriage." what we want to do is love everyone. our job is not to change people. our job is to connect people to jesus, and it's jesus' job to change people. >> culture war issues still do matter, but they matter much less than they did previously. >> reporter: usc's brie laskota says if they want to prosper in the coming years and decades, american houses of worship will need to adapt to the millennials views on faith and culture-views that, she says, likely won't change much as the millennials grow older. >> if i were in a congregation or in a denomination, say in the christian tradition, that thought that millennials will eventually "get it" and come around, then that would be a signaler for me to be worried. because i don't think that millennials are going to change. i don't think they are going to end up looking just like boomers. and i think if you have institutions that are unwilling to meet them where they are and to help them experiment with religiosity in ways that bring new life into institutions and also anchor themselves into a tradition, if you are unwilling to go down that path with millennials you should be worried. if that doesn't happen, then congregations will cease to be congregations, and they'll become museums. >> reporter: so is mosaic church a preview of the things to come in american religious culture? that's unknown, but certainly one thing this place isn't is a museum. for "religion & ethics newsweekly," i'm saul gonzalez in los angeles. across the country from hollywood, in harper's ferry, west virginia, there are three small churches of three different denominations that feared, a few years ago, that they would have to shut down because their congregations had become so small. today, all three are thriving, partly because of the leadership of a vigorous man who is both a politician and the pastor, simultaneously, of all three churches. his name is john unger. >> because it's not necessarily what you say, but it's what you do. >> john unger is a 45-year-old west virginia native who has pastored st. john lutheran church in harper's ferry for four and a half years. he says when he started the congregation consisted of six people and a dog. today, about 50 people worship here on the average sunday. they love their pastor, so much that they seem not to mind sharing him with two other churches -- the united methodists and the episcopalians. >> may our lord be with you as you go through your troubles in your family. >> such interaction used to be unthinkable. but 13 years ago the national evangelical lutherans and episcopalians agreed to honor and accept each others' clergy. john had been filling in at the episcopal church, informally, while the number of parishioners grew from 5 to about 30. then last august, still the pastor of st. john lutheran, unger was formally installed as the priest of st. john's episcopal church by the area's episcopal bishop. >> pastor, father john unger, welcome. >> unger thinks he is the first person in the country to be pastor, simultaneously, of churches of three different denominations. >> i'll tell you that i can't do it, not alone. i recognize my limitations, but i believe that with god all things are possible. >> it also can't hurt that john relates so warmly to his people. >> i love you. >> i love you too. i've been praying for you. see you later. see you next sunday. >> when the 8:00 a.m. episcopal service is over, john walks a block to his lutheran church to lead the 9:30 service there. john talks his sermons, which are slightly different at each church. cara unger, john's wife, is a school teacher who also teaches at the sunday school here. unger thinks the interaction between his three churches can be a model for what could be done around the country -- individual congregations working together but still keeping each one's distinctive traditions. he also thinks the example here would be great for national politics. >> if these three denominations can sit down and have bible study and dialogue and communion and still go back to their respective positions and doctrines and traditions, surely we ought to be able to do the same thing in our political realm. you are not going to be any less a republican or a democrat if you two start talking? >> when unger talks politics, he is on familiar ground. he is not only the pastor of three churches, he is also a state senator. indeed, a democrat who has been the majority leader of the west virginia senate. i asked him about crossing the line between church and state. >> i am very careful to make sure that i don't bring politics into the church. however, i'll tell you this, that i do bring my faith into my politics. it is who i am. and i do not discredit or try to in any way tear down other people's point of view. i believe my ministry is loving god with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, and my public service is loving my neighbor as myself. being a pastor has made me a better legislator because i get to go into people's homes at their most vulnerable time, and understand the human condition, seeing where people live, and as an elected official i never got that opportunity. but as a pastor they invite me in. >> last january, when a chemical leak poisoned the city of charleston's water, unger led the campaign for a law to protect the whole state's water supply. it passed unanimously. unger thinks one reason was his pastoral approach to lobbyists and his fellow lawmakers. >> whatever their faith is, we may disagree on the policy but i do know that i respect you as a child of god and therefore i need to respect you as such. it allows for better discourse, therefore allows for better policy. >> unger thinks the congress in washington needs a big dose of the same mutual respect. >> you know, the biggest problem with congress is that there is no dialogue and no respect with one another. i mean, they are shouting at each other, they are calling each other names and they are tearing each other down. therefore, nothing is getting done. >> unger has had a busy life. after graduation from west virginia university he was a rhodes scholar at oxford. he spent a year with mother teresa in india. he was a missionary in hong kong. he helped boat people fleeing vietnam and kurdish refugees in iraq. i asked john's wife what it's like being married to a man who has done and is doing so much. >> interesting. it's interesting. it can be frustrating that he is gone. it can be difficult. but i always try to keep in mind too, how important the work is that he is doing. ♪ the church is one salvation >> at their 11:30 service, united methodists at unger's third church had seen their numbers drop to 11 before they asked him to become their pastor, too, a year ago. now, most sundays, the number of methodist worshippers is over 40, and on this day, the church was full with members from many decades celebrating its 165th birthday. even though he had just finished leading three services at three churches, unger seemed far from exhausted. >> love the lord and serve others for the glory of god. thanks be to god. >> thanks be to god. >> now you all can do better than that. >> thanks be to god. >> hallelujah. all right. >> one reason for pastor unger's confidence is his conviction that he is doing god's will. another may be his and his wife's ability to have some fun along the way. >> in tuesday's voting, senator unger was re-elected. on our calendar, evangelist billy graham turned 96 friday. his son franklin says he is in good spirits and his mind is still sharp. and members of the baha'i faith will celebrate the birth of their founder, baha'u'llah, who was born on november 12, 1817. this weekend marks the 76th anniversary of kristallnacht, when the nazis in germany and austria turned violently on the jews in their midst, and most of the rest of the world did nothing. our guide to what happened is victoria barnett of the committee on ethics, religion and the holocaust at the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington. >> kristallnacht is actually a euphemism in german. it means the "night of broken glass" or crystal night because there were so many synagogue and home and business windows smashed so the streets of many german cities were literally strewn with broken shards of glass. thousands of businesses and synagogues and homes destroyed, 91 people literally beaten to death on the street, 30,000 jewish people arrested and taken to concentration camps. it was a shock in germany itself. kristallnacht went on actually for about 48 hours and it became open season. you had people watching the synagogues burn, you had people looting the businesses that been plundered. you had people joining in on the violence. in germany both the catholic and the protestant churches for the most part were silent about what had happened. you have a very few pastors who speak out against this, who actually preached sermons condemning the violence. you do have people in both churches who are supporting what is going on, certainly support its anti-semitism. you have a minority of clergy and leaders in both churches who spoke out against it and some of whom actually eventually tried to help jews escape or to hide. it was clear jews had to get out. they knew this, nazi society was actively pushing them to do it and of course this was the very moment in europe and in this country where countries did not want to take in more refugees. even 20,000 children couldn't get into this country. there was no interest in letting down those barriers. america was heavily isolationist still. you still had the aftermath of the depression. you had economic situations in this country where people didn't want to let in more immigrants, anti-semitism played a role. so there were a variety of factors that made people turn away from actively helping the jews just as they really needed the help the most. and for me this is really one of the most haunting aspects of this history, it's to see it's not that people didn't know, and it's not even really that they didn't care, but to translate outrage into policy that can really stop a genocide is immensely difficult, and when you look several years later at millions of people being taken to their deaths it just shows you how high the stakes were at that particular moment. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook and watch us anytime on the pbs app for iphones and ipads. there is also much more on our website. you can listen to or watch every program. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, the congregation of bolivar united methodist church in west virginia singing "he lives." major funding for religion and ethics news weekly. dedicated to its founders' interest in religion, community develop many and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america. designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. >> rose: welcome to the program. i'm charlie rose. the program is "charlie rose: the week." just ahead, a secret leader from the president of the united states to the supreme court leader of iran. new hope for an ebola vaccine and neil young on a career in music. >> the music is not a commodity or a content. the music is the life of the thing. and you're singing your sopgz, and the people are listening and it's going back and forth. it's like one big thing. >> rose: we have those stories and more on what happened and what might happen. captioning sponsored by rose communications