Christianity
(ANALYSIS) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has spent the past few weeks in a moment of both mourning and transition. On Sept. 28, a shooting and arson at a Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Michigan killed four people and wounded eight more. What’s more, Russell M. Nelson, president of the church, died the day before at age 101.
The Constitutional Court in South Africa decided last month that husbands can adopt their wives’ surnames upon getting married, ruling that until now the law discriminated against men. While it is being celebrated as a progressive decision by some, the ruling has outraged many — with some religious and traditional leaders saying this is an assault on marriage.
The defeat of socialism in the first round of Bolivia's presidential elections on Aug. 17 marked a turning point for the Catholic Church. Bolivia has been governed by the Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS in Spanish, since 2006 — a period only interrupted by the interim government of Jeanine Áñez between November 2019 and November 2020.
Six-time Grammy winner Amy Grant, who gained much of her notoriety through her Christian songs, has agreed to a legal settlement about a church founded by her great-grandfather in downtown Nashville. The boarded-up building, now worth at least $11 million, served for decades as the Central Church of Christ, founded in 1925 by A.M. Burton.
Ignoring pleas from animal rights advocates to denounce bullfighting and its close ties with Spanish Catholicism, Pope Leo XIV is aligning himself with Spain’s bishops, who remain hesitant to condemn the cruelty of the popular bloodsport. Animal rights groups see a red flag, arguing that the practice, which dates back centuries, is barbaric.
(ANALYSIS) Here’s a stat that, to this day, I still can’t quite believe: the share of Americans who had a passport was 5% in 1990. According to data from 2023, that had risen to 48%.
La derrota del socialismo en la primera vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales de Bolivia, el 17 de agosto, marcó un punto de inflexión para la Iglesia Católica.
(ANALYSIS) I can’t imagine I will ever teach a course on Research Methods again, but it’s something that I actually really did enjoy at EIU. I led our incoming graduate students on a tour of how political science tries to answer questions every fall for at least eight years. It was a difficult course, no doubt. But I think that many of my students left with a lot of really practical skills and a much better understanding of research design.
(ESSAY) In a world where sports and spirituality don’t often intersect, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt stood as a remarkable exception. Best known as the chaplain and No. 1 fan of Loyola University Chicago’s men’s basketball team, Sister Jean captured the hearts of millions during the team's improbable March Madness runs.
The bottom line: Weiss (a liberal Jew who is married to another woman) has demonstrated a strong belief that real religious believers, acting on real religious beliefs, can shape real news events in the real world.
Next year, a new feature-length presentation of the Crucifixion will hit the big screen. It’ll mark the culmination of the much-anticipated Season 6 of the worldwide phenomenon “The Chosen.” What should viewers expect? Will it be similar to — or different from — “The Passion” version?
The ongoing federal government shutdown furloughed 57 members of The Commonwealth of Faith Church in Michigan, where a third of the 350 attendees are federal workers, including bivocational Pastor Torion Bridges and his wife Jasmine.
(ANALYSIS) A reporter asked the Pope about the decision to give a U.S. Senator Dick Durbin a lifetime achievement award. The problem: Durbin consistently backs abortion rights and remains barred from receiving Holy Communion in Springfield, Illinois, his home diocese.
(ANALYSIS) The question of whether Christianity is under attack, especially in the United States, is a complex and deeply polarizing one. Is it discrimination? Is it part of an overall decline? Is it a cultural shift? It could very well be a combination of all three.
Most pastors are confident their churches are helping people grow as Christians. Just don’t ask them how they know that. In the second part of the State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research, U.S. Protestant pastors describe their congregations’ discipleship approaches and reveal data behind some key spiritual growth metrics.
La historia de la Iglesia San Francisco en Valparaíso está tan entrelazada con la ciudad portuaria chilena que, cuando un incendio destruyó el edificio en 2013, una vecina sintió que estaba perdiendo a un amigo.
(REVIEW) “House of David” is the flagship title of the newly launched “Wonder Project,” and Season 2 is the biggest launch title for its new subscription platform. The series delivers on epic battles, complex characters and biblical themes. It recounts the ascent of the biblical figure David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel.
(ANALYSIS) If Charlie Kirk’s movement accomplishes its ambitious goals, it would rival America’s significant evangelical youth revival that erupted after World War II. “Parachurch” organizations formed during that era, like InterVarsity, The Navigators, Cru and YoungLife are all active today.
(ANALYSIS) Days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi poured gasoline on raging national debates about social media chatter celebrating the 31-year-old activist's death. Prominent conservatives immediately rejected her words, noting that her use of the term “hate speech” is one that, historically, has been used by the hard left.
(ANALYSIS) The world went into lockdown in March and April of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Americans to stay home on a scale unseen in our lifetimes. Now, nearly four years removed from the height of the crisis, it’s clear that if life were going to snap back to “normal,” it would have already happened.
(OPINION) “If you are there and you’re listening, I’d appreciate some help,” the writer prayed. The response was stone silence.
Dead Sea Scroll fragments and hundreds of other artifacts will be on display starting Nov. 22 at the Museum of the Bible’s “Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition,” brought in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
(ANALYSIS) Young men have stopped leaving church in droves and are probably just as religious as young women at this point.
It’s time to play “spot the headline,” a game that I have — for decades — watched mainstream journalists play as they cover the papacy.
(ANALYSIS) The announcement that Bishop Sarah Mullally will become the next Archbishop of Canterbury marks an extraordinary milestone in the Church of England’s long and complex history — but also sets the stage for a challenging chapter ahead. Her appointment is as symbolic as it is strategic. It comes at a moment when the church is navigating both internal turmoil and a shifting role in British public life.
Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Dallas, on Thursday pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, beginning when she was just 12.
(REVIEW) The online series does a solid job of translating the biblical story and characters into a sit-com workplace comedy format. But, like the Israelites looking for the promised land, it has a long way to go before it gets there. The first season of “The Promised Land” is available on YouTube now with new episodes releasing each week.
The Anglican Church of Uganda has unveiled a digital land information management system to curb rampant land grabbing that threatens its vast properties. Land grabbing remains one of the church’s most pressing challenges in Uganda. Illegal squatters and unscrupulous land dealers have deprived the institution of the property church leaders had planned to develop for religious schools and worship space.
(ANALYSIS) The question is whether Vatican leaders can build unity between bishops who back Pride Masses and those who approve Latin Masses.
In a lawsuit, Chandler Moore, the Grammy Award-winning worship singer, cut ties with manager Norman Gyamfi. “I’ve made the bittersweet decision to end my relationship with Maverick City Music,” Moore said on Instagram. “When we started Mav, I was grateful to have community and belonging while fulfilling my dream of making music that would help people experience God.”