Are Sci-Fi Hits Like ‘Rebel Moon’ Faith-Based Films?

(ANALYSIS) There is something profoundly different about how sci-fi and fantasy movies deal with faith and religion and how traditionally “faith-based” films do. And that is, quite obviously, when you think about it, that these movies treat faith like fiction and fantasy, whereas faith-based fiction treats it as fact. It’s the same as how comic books like Superman treat aliens as “real” in their stories, but no one would actually pretend that these comics are making any truth claims about the existence of aliens.

Religion, Entertainment, NewsJoseph HolmesApril 29, 2024Joseph Holmes, Dune, Rebel Moon, sci-fi, films and TV, faith-based films, religion, news, Primary featureComment

Manufacturing Communal Violence In India: Fact Or Fiction?

Mohammed Soheb is a farmer in the northern Haryana state’s Nuh district, India’s least developed region. With a majority Muslim population, Nuh had been known for Hindu-Muslim harmony until July 2023, when a nine-day spate of communal violence disrupted that harmony. The unrest seemed to fit a pattern often seen in Hindu-Muslim relations in India.

Asia, hinduism, Islam, News, Politics, Religion, SocietyHarshita RathoreApril 29, 2024Harshita Rathore, India, religion, Islam, Hinduism, Hindus, Muslims, news, Secondary featureComment

How Passover Haggadahs — And Their art — Have Been Evolving For Centuries

The Jewish festival of Passover recalls the biblical story of the Israelites enslaved by Egypt and their miraculous escape. During a ritual feast known as a Seder, families celebrate this ancient story of deliverance, with each new generation reminded to never take freedom for granted. Every year, a written guide known as a “Haggadah” is read at the Seder table.

Number of Jews Immigrating To Israel Drops Since Oct. 7 Attacks

The number of Jews immigrating to Israel has dropped 43 percent in the six months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. From April to September 2023, 23,073 people moved to Israel under the Law of Return. From October 2023 to March 2024, the number dropped to 12,977.

Israel, Judaism, Jewish, Middle East, NewsBeth HarpazApril 26, 2024Beth Harpaz, Israel, Jews, Hamas, Gaza, terrorism, immigration, Secondary feature, newsComment

Cult Raid Highlights Abuses Of African Apostolic Churches

No money, no phones, no school, no medicine — and no questions. This is what life was like in Canaan, the shrine of an African Apostolic faith church on the outskirts of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, where police last month rescued hundreds of people — including more than 250 children — forced to believe they were prepared to depart for heaven.

Church Leaders Say ‘Graduate Sunday’ A Chance To Look Forward

Over the next month churches will hold the annual event known as Graduate Sunday. Those days may include tables of photos in the foyer, graduates in their caps and gowns, a meal for senior and a sermon by the youth pastor, leaving parents to wonder about the science behind the speed of time.

Christianity, News, North America, EducationScott BarkleyApril 25, 2024Scott Barkley, Christianity, Graduate Sunday, news, Secondary feature, educationComment

American Couple Preaches The Gospel With Help From The Sun

In several districts of central and southwestern Uganda, places with high levels of poverty, a beacon of hope shines bright these days. It’s The Share the Light Gospel Initiative — led by an American couple, Brian and Mary Kluth through HealthyCharity.org — that’s illuminating lives and brightening the future of hundreds of Christian families.

Biden Signs $95 Billion Foreign Package, Includes Aid For Ukraine And Israel

President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package on April 24 that drew bipartisan support for Israel, Ukraine and other allies, and pledged to begin sending weapons and military equipment to Ukraine within hours.

Israel, News, North America, PoliticsDiana ChandlerApril 25, 2024Diana Chandler, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Biden, President Biden, Trump, news, politics, Tik Tok, Taiwan, Secondary featureComment

Pastor Apologizes for Inviting Mark Driscoll to Men’s Conference

Megachurch pastor John Lindell apologized to his congregation on Sunday for inviting sword-swallower Alex Magala and disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll to the Stronger Men’s Conference two weekends ago in Missouri. The apology follows a week of controversy sparked by Driscoll’s sharp condemnation of Magala’s “strip” act.

Islamic Terrorists Increase Attacks On Christians In Mozambique

Islamic extremists waging an insurgency in Mozambique have increasingly targeted Christians and churches in the first three months of this year. As a result, priests and their followers — a total of 100,000 people — have been forced to flee following increased attacks that have left scores of dead and some church buildings destroyed.

Threat Or Myth?: The Unending Clamor Over Christian Nationalism

(ANALYSIS) Here are a few added observations to Religion Unplugged’s continued reporting this election year on vigorous agitation against “Christian Nationalism” as a threat to American democracy, with “White” often added to signal racial animus. This accompanies heavy breathing overall about fusing religion with politics in multiplied events, books, articles, Internet postings and broadcast punditry.

Evangelical leaders Lobbied House Speaker For Israel And Ukraine Aid

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson heard from select evangelical leaders in a press call in advance of the chamber’s weekend passage of a $95 million foreign aid package. The U.S. must support Israel, Ukraine and other allies in a battle that threatens democracy and religious freedom beyond Europe and the Middle East, the leaders said.

Bad Habits: Why You’re Seeing More Pregnant Nuns in Horror Movies

“Immaculate” and “The First Omen” are two horror movies with pregnant nun protagonists in theaters at the same time. It’s admittedly an unusual event. They’re also a veiled response to the overturning of abortion nearly two years ago and the Catholic church’s stance on the issue.

Campus Chaos: Columbia Goes Remote After Protests Intimidate Jewish Students

Columbia University’s president canceled all in-person classes and urged faculty and students who do not live on campus to stay away, after a weekend of anti-Israel protests swelled and included threatening messages to the school’s large Jewish student population. The extraordinary move was announced in an early-morning Monday email.

Book Excerpt: ‘How The Book Of Mormon Came to Pass’ By Lars Nielsen

(EXCERPT) Several explanations for the seemingly sudden appearance of “The Book of Mormon” in 1829 (first published in 1830) have been put forth by both historians and apologists alike. Each holds some value to its advocates while displaying obvious inconsistencies and unexplained features. Significant new evidence necessitates the revision of all such theories.

Books, Mormon, News, HistoryLars NielsenApril 22, 2024Lars Nielsen, Mormons, Mormonism, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Utah, books, book excerpt, newsComment

Earth Day: 5 Orthodox Christian Books That Deal With Environmentalism

Many across the world will celebrate Earth Day on Monday, which marks the 54th anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is the fight against plastic, aiming to increase awareness of the issue of pollution around the globe and its harmful effects on the environment.

Schism Over Social Issues: The United Methodist Church Has Been Here Before

(ANALYSIS) The United Methodist Church’s General Conference will meet in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 23 to May 4, 2024. Originally scheduled for 2020 and delayed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting of the church’s legislative body comes at a critical time for the United States’ second-largest Protestant denomination.

Jewish Students Advised To Leave Columbia’s Campus Amid Protests

Jewish students concerned about their safety amid a new wave of anti-war protests at Columbia University received mixed messages on Sunday about staying on campus during the holiday of Passover. Rabbi Elie Buechler, who leads the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Columbia and Barnard, advised students to return home until it is safe for them to be on campus again.

Oklahoma Christian Commemorates Twin Tragedies

Oklahoma Christian is the only site outside of New York City to have survivor trees from both tragedies. Just west of the university’s library stands a tall American Elm, an offspring of a tree that remained standing after the Oklahoma City bombing. The April 19, 1995, attack, an act of domestic terrorism that claimed 168 lives, destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

LifeWise Academy Teaching The Bible During Public School Days Grows Nationally

LifeWise Academy founder Joel Penton was on Bluetooth, driving a vibrant red and yellow school bus fashioned into a camper, heading from Ohio with his wife and five school-age children to the newest academy sites in Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia.

Address

Contact

Information