Passover ended a little over a week ago. The big question now is what do you do with all the leftover matzo? That’s what many Jews are asking themselves now that the eight-day holiday — in commemoration of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt — has passed.
Read MoreThe Russian military’s need to replenish its ranks for what appears to be a long-term war against Ukraine and its Western allies has resulted in Indian men being lured to Moscow with the promise of work, only to discover that they have been forced to enlist in the army. Russian President Vladimir Putin has even justified the invasion of Ukraine partly as a defense of the Moscow-oriented Orthodox Church.
Read MoreIreland — once a bastion of Catholicism — has become a more secular, pluralistic nation. In the 2022 census, 14% of respondents reported having no religion, according to the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. That’s a rise of nearly 100,000 people since the 2016 census. With more Irish people moving away from organized religion, nonreligious weddings, have become increasingly common.
Read MoreFollowing decades of infighting, the United Methodist Church voted on a series of sweeping doctrinal changes, including repealing a ban on LGBTQ clergy and allowing for same-sex marriages. For the U.S.’s third-largest Protestant denomination, the changes represent a seismic shift and one that calls on fully embracing LGBTQ members in every aspect of church life.
Read MoreIf by any chance the Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate do reach an agreement on a common date for Easter, this would create a tectonic shift in the Orthodox world. Such a move would deepen the ongoing Orthodox rift between Constantinople and Moscow, potentially creating a series of schisms within local Orthodox churches (similar to what happened in the 1920s with the Greek and Romanian churches).
Read MoreDaystar University, a Kenyan school whose academic programs started with a certificate course from Wheaton College and later rose to be a leader in the training of communicators in Africa, has been forced to defend its Christian identity after a Muslim member of parliament accused it of discriminatory practices.
Read MoreThe OM Ship, carrying a crew of 350 missionaries from 70 nations, arrived at the Richards Bay’s port in the Eastern Cape in South Africa for their five-month ministry stay earlier this year. They are currently stationed at five South African ports and are expected to complete their work in June.
Read MoreMohammed 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.
Read MoreNo 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.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreIslamic 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.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Congress of the XXV World Russian People’s Council, headed by Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, issued a document on March 27 entitled: “The Present and Future of the Russian World.” In the document, the leadership of the XXV World Russian People’s Council describes the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.”
Read MoreChanging population patterns and crumbling buildings requiring costly repairs have creating a challenging environment for Britain’s network of thousands of churches, many of which date back hundreds of years. It’s a situation that has resulted in a major campaign to save these churches — and increasingly inventive ways of maintaining their existence.
Read MoreJust three months after he was installed as president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, the Rev. Freddie Haynes II abruptly resigned this week as leader of the historic Civil Rights organization. Last July, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had selected Haynes to lead the organization starting in 2024.
Read MoreZimbabwe’s renowned cleric and Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministry founder Walter Magaya recently built a modern soccer stadium in less than six months at his Yadah Complex in the capital city Harare. The project comes at a time when Magaya is facing several scandals, including being accused of rape and financial wrongdoing.
Read MoreThe religious freedom case pitting a Christian group against local activists over Sunday access to a New Jersey beach may not be resolved in time for this summer. A hearing — originally scheduled for April 17 — has been postponed and a new date of May 16 set, just two weeks before the traditional start of the summer beach season.
Read MoreWith nearly a dozen releases timed strategically around the electoral period, Indian cinema is amplifying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party's Hindu nationalist political agenda. The slew of new films — ahead of the April 19 national elections — are helmed by major production houses that rely on storylines that overtly either promote Modi and his government’s policies or target rival politicians.
Read MoreIn an age of shrinking theological schools, Wesley Biblical Seminary is defying expectations. While many of the largest and prominent evangelical seminaries across the United States — such as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary — are downsizing, WBS is growing in enrollment.
Read MoreSince a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake last year killed more than 53,000 people and displaced some 3 million residents according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, recovery has been slow. More than a year later, the city is quiet, often only disrupted by the sound of construction equipment.
Read MoreBhupat Bhai Sekhaliya, a rickshaw driver from Gujarat, a state in western India known for its economic progress and as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, faces significant challenges due to his background. He belongs to the Dalit community, which is at the bottom of India’s caste system.
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