The teen birth rate in the United States stood at at 31.3 births per 1,000 women in 2011—an historic low, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Teen birth rates have been dropping for years—a more than 44 percent decline during the past two decades. Experts say there are two primary factors in play in these dropping birth rates for teens: Teens are waiting longer to have sex; but teens who are sexually active are also more likely to use birth control and use it more effectively. (CBS News)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.