(REVIEW) The information we have about the role of women in ancient Christianity is limited. Among the male disciples, only two prominent figures stand out: Mary and Mary Magdalene. Overall, women’s participation in church leadership has been restricted, and the appointment of women as priests and ecclesiastical leaders remains a controversial issue to this today.

(ANALYSIS) The author of “Infinite Jest” grasped something that makes secular intellectuals squirm: People must worship something. Take away God and they don't become enlightened — they become slaves to smaller gods. Wallace witnessed this transformation with clarity. His characters bow before drugs, screens, achievement — anything promising relief from the weight of existence.

(EXCERPT) In today’s world, we are increasingly segmented by our interests, segregated by our neighborhoods, separated into economic and ethnic groups, polarized by our politics, divided by our demographics, and isolated by our modern lifestyles that focus on individual pursuit rather than the fellowship of community. In that environment, real friendships between people who are unlike each other are increasingly rare.

(ANALYSIS) Leo Tolstoy spent half a century avoiding arguably the most essential truth of them all: Everything comes to an end. If that’s true, which it is, what’s the point? He’d conquered every peak the world could name. “War and Peace” made him immortal. “Anna Karenina” made him rich. Critics worshipped him in tongues he didn’t even speak. Russian aristocrats name-dropped him like Scripture.

The Catholic justice said what motivated her to write a book is to shed a light on the Supreme Court’s inner workings and give a behind-the-scenes look at what the justices do. She added that while the Supreme Court may not always “get it right” in every case, she does “think Americans should trust that the court is trying to get it right.”

(REVIEW) The book presents a Christian framework for everyday life that may resonate with readers of various faiths. However, the writing quality is uneven; while some chapters are accessible, others use complex language that may be challenging for some readers. Despite its limitations, this collection is worth reading in an age marked by AI, anxiety and burnout.

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.

The history of San Francisco Church in Valparaíso is so intertwined with the Chilean port city that when a fire burned down the building in 2013, one neighbor felt like she was losing a friend. The city owes its nickname “Pancho” to the church (men named “Francisco” are often called “Pancho” in Latin America). Built in 1845 on a hill by the Franciscan order, the church served as a beacon for sailors who would say “Pancho a la vista” or “Pancho in sight,” when approaching the port city.

(ANALYSIS) As Algeria tries to assert itself on the international stage as a civilizational bridge, the country’s Christian community continues to face renewed challenges. In late July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune traveled to Italy to meet with both Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The latter meeting produced a joint initiative to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for several historic sites in Algeria linked to early Christianity.

(ANALYSIS) Nearly five million travelers visit Yellowstone National Park each year, most in the summer months. They come for the geysers, wildlife, scenery and recreational activities such as hiking, fishing and photography. However, few realize that religion has been part of Yellowstone’s appeal throughout the park’s history.

(ANALYSIS) This is a mountainous and, until recently, remote area that is culturally and historically distinct from the rest of India. It is also the most thoroughly Baptist region in the world. For example, the church in Mon, a town of approximately 17,000 people, is the largest Baptist church in Asia. It dwarfs surrounding buildings and can seat 10,000 worshippers.

Over 6,000 years old and still a site for worship, Stonehenge remains a unique place. As the first rays of the sun shine into the Stone Circle at the recent summer solstice, thousands of worshippers gathered to celebrate, just as people have done throughout history. Druids, Wiccans and other pagan groups gathered to watch the sun’s arrival following a long winter.

(REVIEW) In 1838, American clergymen Edward Robinson and Eli Smith began a Bible-guided survey of the Holy Land, producing a landmark archaeological record. Allan Chapman’s new book traces how 19th-century explorers and missionaries — from pyramid-measuring mystic Charles Piazzi Smyth to Ur excavator Sir Leonard Woolley — sought evidence for Biblical truth.

Finding chaplains on-site at a National Trust heritage property is not something visitors usually expect. But at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, in the north of England, it has become a regular occurrence. The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII marked the end of Fountains Abbey as a Cistercian monastery.

A week doesn’t go by without President Donald Trump talking about “needing” to acquire Greenland. As reporters rush to cover this mysterious territory, much has been said the island’s politics and melting ice — but nothing about the island’s eclectic religious mix of Lutherans, Pentecostals, Baptists, Baha’is and Catholics.

Canterbury Cathedral has been a significant pilgrimage destination for over a thousand years. Despite the West’s growing secularization, there seems to be no shortage of travelers from around the world looking to make the journey to the English house of worship. These days, people come for historical, cultural as well as spiritual reasons.