Christianity
(ANALYSIS) The man who would become one of Christianity's most formidable minds spent his early life doing things he knew were wrong and deploying his considerable intelligence to explain why that was probably fine. Saint Augustine of Hippo would go on to forever change his life, and with it, Christianity.
Dad’s Place, the temporary housing shelter in Bryan, Ohio, that has been fighting for its right to operate, has finally reached a conclusion to its ongoing legal matters.
When you picture an American church, what comes to mind? Is it a palatial, gothic cathedral that dwarfs its neighboring buildings and carries with it an air of ancient mystery? Is it a small, white chapel with a sharp steeple and a quiet humility about its presence?
When facing difficult circumstances, most churchgoers trust in God’s love and provision. Some, however, begin to question God’s character and involvement in their lives — and their number has grown in recent years.
(ANALYSIS) Christianity is growing globally, especially in the Global South and parts of Europe, with record adult conversions in Monaco, France, Austria, Belgium and rising U.S. Catholic baptisms. But earlier claims of a British revival were debunked, and U.S. secularism, though temporarily declining, remains high among younger generations, suggesting long-term Western decline.
(ANALYSIS) Before there was Dave Ramsey, there was Suze Orman. The OGs will know exactly what I’m talking about right now. She had a show on CNBC that ran on Saturday nights. We would watch it almost every week.
(OPINION) Striving for success, status, and achievement often deepens emptiness rather than fulfillment. True meaning comes from cultivating love, faith in something greater, hopeful expectation, benevolence toward others, a sense of humor and mercy. These qualities, more than external rewards, sustain a satisfying, grounded life and ease the burden of human imperfection.
(REVIEW) What will the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese add to these depictions of Mary that we haven’t seen before? Frankly, not much.
(REVIEW) In the last eighteen months, two Christian publishers have released books reimagining C.S. Lewis’s classic ‘The Screwtape Letters’ as concerning the temptation not of a man, but of a woman. The authors are at their best when they take the Lewisian approach, considering women not just as females, but as humans.
Ed Modicue, a former Golden Gloves champion in Louisiana, now mentors boys through boxing, emphasizing discipline, self-control and healthy living. Grounded in his Christian faith, he teaches youth to value themselves and others. Through his gym and church involvement, Modicue inspires young people to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.
(ANALYSIS) On Easter, U.S. churches fill with worshippers, yet few are led by women despite rising numbers in clergy training. This disparity contrasts with Gospel accounts that name women, especially Mary Magdalene, as the first to witness and proclaim Jesus’ resurrection, underscoring their foundational role.
Ahead of Easter, newsrooms often chase predictable religion stories, but recent reporting highlights a more complex reality. While Catholic and Orthodox churches are seeing notable increases in converts, broader trends show ongoing decline in attendance and affiliation. The result is not a single revival, but a fragmented landscape of growth and loss.
(PHOTO ESSAY) About 200 Catholic workers in Bangladesh’s Zirani industrial area marked Good Friday by staging the Way of the Living Cross. Despite demanding jobs, mostly in garment factories, they practiced and performed the devotion, reflecting their strong faith. In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Easter Sunday is not an official holiday.
(ANALYSIS) In April 1300, Dante Alighieri stepped into a dark wood and started walking. He didn’t pick that time of year by accident. Holy Week — the week Christians set aside to remember death and resurrection — is precisely when the Italian began his tour of the afterlife in his epic poem “The Divine Comedy.”
Protestant pastors overwhelmingly view legal immigration as beneficial and support increasing or maintaining it. Most favor combining stronger border security with a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants. While divided on deportation levels, pastors prioritize removing violent offenders and emphasize family unity and human dignity.
Robert Morris, former pastor of megachurch Gateway Church in the Dallas area, was released from Osage County Jail in Oklahoma after serving his six-month term for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s.
(ANALYSIS) “Solo Mio,” a low-budget romantic comedy starring Kevin James, blends classic rom-com tropes with overt Catholic elements, raising questions about whether it’s faith-based or mainstream. Its strong box office return highlights growing interest in profitable, faith-friendly films as Hollywood shifts away from big-budget franchises toward niche genres.
(ANALYSIS) I think that I’m a lot like the folks who read this newsletter — I don’t actually watch the news that much anymore. I used to be a regular viewer of our local news station that is based close to Carbondale and covers our county, but then they literally fired all of their meteorologists and outsourced that part of the broadcast to some command center in Atlanta or some such place.
(ANALYSIS) In war-torn Iraq, Muslims will join Christians in celebrating Easter every year, fostering a spirit of solidarity and coexistence. The celebrations have gained prominence since ISIS was forced out of major strongholds. Around 140,000 Christians in Baghdad, Mosul, the disputed territory of Nineveh plains celebrate Lent, which culminates with Easter Sunday.
Very few superheroes wear their faith on their sleeves like Daredevil. But the Season 2 opener for Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again” has pulled back on those elements. If that reflects the rest of the season, it will be to the show’s detriment.
When Americans call President George Washington the “Father of His Country” it’s an honorary title based on politics and history. When modern citizens of the Republic of Georgia refer to Patriarch Ilia II as the “Godfather of Our Land” they are being quite literal, in terms of the rites and traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith.
(ANALYSIS) The Supreme Court recently announced a major decision in what seems like a quintessential religious freedom case: A Christian preacher charged with violating a city ordinance for sharing his faith in a public park. But outrageous as it may have been, the preacher’s arrest was not actually at the heart of this case.
A new report from the Pew Research Center found that religious radio stations remain ubiquitous — with 98% of U.S. adults living within the local coverage area of at least one of them. The report found that an “overwhelming majority” of those stations are Christian. Despite the rise of digital media, 45% of U.S. adults say they’ve listened to religious programming on the radio.
(ANALYSIS) Don Mattingly, a pioneering Southern Baptist leader, created Centrifuge youth camps to “spin” teens toward meaningful futures in faith, service and careers. Launched in 1979, the program has reached millions. Remembered as both a visionary and organizer, Mattingly shaped generations by helping young people explore calling, purpose and lifelong decisions.
India’s leading Catholic publisher has been awarded a papal knighthood in recognition of his groundbreaking efforts in developing Catholic editions of the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New Living Translation (NLT), both American Evangelical translations of the Bible.
Even Chuck Norris’s granddaughter bought into the memes that described her Papa as indestructible. He was, as she wrote recently, the man who “counted to infinity twice, the man who got bit by a cobra and the cobra died.” Chuck Norris didn’t do pushups, she added; he “would push the earth down.”
When “The Faithful: Women of the Bible” trusts the Bible’s voice, it does a great job of giving voice to the women that it portrays. Unfortunately, far too often, the filmmakers shout their own voices too loud for you to hear the real women they claim to be elevating.
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary hosted a Sandlot Revival worship night on March 13, marking the tour’s first event outside Savannah. Led by Banana Ball players including Coach RAC, the gathering featured testimonies, worship music and a Gospel message, highlighting the movement’s growth from a team Bible study into a nationwide outreach effort.
Losing one’s sight can be difficult, but Christians who are blind in Kenya are finding new hope through solar-powered audio Bibles. Koki Ann, who works with the Montana-based “Your Network of Praise” in Nairobi, said: “Getting to reach people who are visually impaired was such a great breakthrough and pure providence.”
(ANALYSIS) A year ago, King Charles III, in an Easter message that made little news, proclaimed that the love Jesus showed “when he walked the Earth reflected the Jewish ethic of caring for the stranger and those in need, a deep human instinct echoed in Islam and other religious traditions. ... The abiding message of Easter is that God so loved the world — the whole world — that He sent His son to live among us to show us how to love one another, and to lay down His own life for others in a love that proved stronger than death.”