(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.

(REVIEW) “The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art” is a deeply academic tome. Its 480 pages includes an extensive set of endnotes that will no doubt prove invaluable to future scholarship, while its large appendix is itself a significant resource. Yet, with Anderson’s lucid and well-informed writing style, this book will be accessible to a wide audience of readers.

(ANALYSIS) In reinventing himself, did Robert Allen Zimmerman — Dylan’s birth name and the grandson of Lithuanian and Ukrainian Jewish immigrants — also betray his Jewish heritage? What was that heritage and how did it shape his music, his worldview, his rise to fame and identity? Harry Freedman explores these questions in his probing book, “Bob Dylan: Jewish Roots, American Soil.”

(EXCERPT) In “Queens of Islam: The Muslim World’s Historic Women Rulers,” journalist Tom Verde shares stories of 15 Muslim women rulers, dating back to the early Islamic era through the 17th century. The book, published by Olive Branch Press, pushes back on stereotypes about Muslim women as oppressed. Instead, it highlights prominent rulers who influenced Islamic civilization across the Arab world.

(EXCERPT) Could the flourishing history of journalism provide clues for enabling it to flourish in future? Why is society’s watchdog, the press, with its long and often honorable pedigree, going feral? Failing to bark at misrepresentation and fraud, while snarling at truth? Why does journalism have the privileged position it does?

(ANALYSIS) Throughout his career, you see the outlines of a man burdened by the myth he helped build. A man who stared down America’s worst tendencies and tried to warn us, only to watch them metastasize. And in that exhaustion, there’s something quietly Christlike — not in purity, but in genuine suffering. 

At a time when the Trump administration has renewed a travel ban on various Muslim majority countries in Africa and across the Middle East, the Quran owned by John Adams is but one indication that our nation’s founders regarded Islam — as well as other, non-Western, non-Christian faiths — as worthy of respect and protection under the law.

(REVIEW) “Ruth & Boaz,” a modern retelling of the biblical love story, blends faith-based themes with romantic drama and Tyler Perry-style spectacle. Directed by Alanna Brown and produced under a Netflix deal with DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry Studios, the film explores themes of faith, redemption and healing while leaning heavily on familiar tropes.

(ANALYSIS) More recently, a 2021 study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative looked at 200 popular movies and found that Muslim characters were either completely missing or shown as violent. Despite the consistency of negative representations of Muslims on television following the rise in Islamophobia, the post-9/11 climate actually saw the introduction of more diverse Muslim characters.

(REVIEW) “Triumph of the Heart” is a rare movie that leans into the parts of the Christian walk we often like to talk about but not experience. In doing so, it shows us the beauty of standing up against evil. If one can take the constant drumbeat of pain and look past some of its repetitiveness and hagiographical weaknesses, one will be rewarded by having one’s heart drawn closer to God.

Apple TV’s sci-fi drama “Severance” was the most-nominated show at this year’s Emmys — and for good reason. The series boasts a chillingly unique premise: Workers at mega-corporation Lumon have the opportunity to undergo surgery which renders them into two, an “innie” who works from nine to five and an “outie” who lives a regular life outside of work — all to manufacture a twisted work-life balance and preserve confidentiality around work.

(ANALYSIS) “The Exorcist” may be the most famous exorcism film ever made. But “The Conjuring” is easily the most successful exorcism franchise. Starting with “The Conjuring” in 2013, the franchise follows Ed and Lorainne Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) as they, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, help families who claim to be haunted by demons.

(ANALYSIS) Darren Aronofsky’s most formative encounter with Haredi Jews may have come when he was an 18-year-old in Israel at the Kotel. It was there at the wall, he told film journalist Andrea Chase, he met a group of Hasidim who introduced him to the Jewish mysticism he’d go on to use to award-winning effect in his debut feature, “Pi.”  

(REVIEW) “Guns & Moses” is a rare film that succeeds both as compelling entertainment and as a surprisingly thoughtful exploration of faith. It’s a model that shows how believers can examine all aspects of life through their faith and art — including those they'd prefer to keep in a concealed carry. The film expertly tells a story that is emotionally satisfying from a faith standpoint.

(ANALYSIS) “Murderbot” has options, but only a few. Kill all the stupid humans and flee, which likely means another SecUnit would stop him and then the company would melt him down as scrap. Or play along, pretending to do the job you’ve always done but hope no one notices when you’re not all there because — you’re bingeing thousands of hours of “content” — human/bot/AI entertainment.

(REVIEW) At times, it feels like there are two different “Light of the World” movies vying for dominance onscreen. One is a cringe Sunday school lesson with forced try-hard laughs and mini-sermons sprinkled throughout. The other is a beautifully animated character drama that shares the beauty of Jesus through relatable characters and moving imagery with genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

(REVIEW) What’s most interesting about “The Sandman” is not the Netflix show itself — but what it says about religion and spirituality. The show has plenty to say about death and faith in ways that fit exactly in with many trends of our modern day. In this way, “The Sandman” is itself a time capsule of modern-day dreams about our life and how the world works.

It’s not just modern, but historic art also plays a role in this rebirth. In 2024, Winchester Cathedral collaborated with the National Gallery on a groundbreaking immersive exhibition centered around a 16th century masterpiece by Flemish artist Jan Gossaert. It marked the first time the National Gallery undertook a touring digital facsimile exhibition. Churches, however, have long been involved in art.

(ANALYSIS) Any sounding music is not silent and, in human terms, silence is largely metaphorical, since we cannot escape sound. But Pärt’s silence is different. It is spiritual stillness communicated through his musical formulas but made sensible through the action of human performers. It is a composer’s silence as he gets out of the way of a sacred text’s musicality to communicate its truth.

The only synagogue ever designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright looks like a sanctuary pulled from scripture and pinned to a leafy street corner in Philadelphia. This is Beth Sholom, a shul shaped like a mountain — literally — 110 feet high and wrapped in 1,500 glass panels. Wright wanted it to evoke Sinai — not just a memory of revelation, but the possibility of one.

Activist Hooman Khalili hopes to inspire Iranian women to resist abuse and terrorism through murals displayed on college campuses across the United States. The murals, he said, are meant to spark civil discourse — especially among students — and draw attention to the fight for human rights in Iran at a time when all the focus is on Gaza and Ukraine.

(REVIEW) “The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art” is a deeply academic tome. Its 480 pages includes an extensive set of endnotes that will no doubt prove invaluable to future scholarship, while its large appendix is itself a significant resource. Yet, with Anderson’s lucid and well-informed writing style, this book will be accessible to a wide audience of readers.

Christians at the Bouldercrest Church of Christ invited the devil into their midst. This time, he went down to Georgia not for a fiddle-playing contest, as the famous Charlie Daniels Band song goes, but for an interview.That was the premise of a recent play the church hosted, “The Art of Influence: An Interview with the Devil.”

A leading academic who has called for the return of precious artifacts “stolen by Pope Pius XI and his missionaries” from Indigenous First Nations communities has urged Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican Museums to “rethink their colonial mindset.” Gloria Bell said the Vatican continues to falsely “refer to everything” in their collection as a “gift.”

On a summer night in 2023, Rajah Bose boarded the midnight train out of Spokane, Washington, with John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charlie” in his backpack and a burning question that he couldn’t articulate. The 45-year-old photojournalist and musician was embarking on a 9,000-mile journey across America by rail, from the Pacific Northwest to New York and, finally, back home.

In the second installment of “And So It Goes,” HBO’s new two-part documentary about Billy Joel, the Piano Man explains why he wore a yellow Star of David in August 2017, during his residency at Madison Square Garden, in his most extensive filmed account of his family’s experience in the Holocaust. “No matter what, I will always be a Jew,” he said.

(ANALYSIS) Anime and Religious Identity: Cultural Aesthetics in Japanese Spiritual Worlds helps students explore questions of meaning, ethics and belief that anime brings to life. It examines themes such as what happens when the past resurfaces? What does it mean to carry the weight of responsibility? And how can suffering become a path to transformation?

(ANALYSIS) Christians who oppose sports betting do so by applying biblical principles that discourage greed, materialism and irresponsibility. With a new NFL season upon us, concerns are also raised about the predatory nature of the gambling industry and its potential to cause addiction and harm to vulnerable people.

If veteran broadcaster Monte Moore is doing the telling, stories swapped at the Athletics Hall of Fame induction will include baseball, family and church. The folksy voice of the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics — the MLB team’s previous homes before their current, temporary stint in West Sacramento, Calif. — will be inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame.

Churches of Christ in Albania sponsor their own basketball league, Rebound. The Tirana team is about half Roma. They named themselves “Wings of Eagles” after Isaiah 40:31. Fushë Krujë also has a team, though some of its members joined before learning to dribble. They dubbed themselves “The Sons of Thunder,” the nicknames of apostles James and John in Mark 3:17.

Pastors and college football fans George Schroeder and Dean Inserra have kicked off the third season of “Gridiron and the Gospel,” a podcast dedicated to the sport but also faith. Schroeder’s sports journalism career stretched nearly 30 years and included stops at USA Today and Sports Illustrated as well as Baptist Press editor. He currently serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairfield, Texas.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s engagement in Riyadh highlights Saudi Arabia’s evolving — but still inconsistent— social norms. Once governed by strict Islamic law, the kingdom has relaxed restrictions under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reforms. Ronaldo and partner Georgina Rodríguez live openly as an unmarried couple — something that remains risky for ordinary Saudis, especially women.

The case of a high school football coach praying on the field has been in the spotlight since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. But another football controversy first emerged in 2015, when two Christian schools made it to the state championships. The games were run by the state’s athletic association. Officials barred them from conducting a prayer over the loudspeaker before kickoff.

Over 10 weeks, boys progressed from basic stances and footwork to live sparring, with each session building confidence alongside muscle memory. What started as tentative jabs evolved into combinations as the young fighters learned to face adversity head-on. “I learned to protect myself,” said 9-year-old Kohanim Chavez. “I had a good time with my dad, and he was one of the best trainers.”

Terry Bollea — better known as Hulk Hogan — carried an oversized presence during a career that spanned nearly a half-century and included countless ripped shirts, bandannas and leg drops. His biggest splash came in December 2023, though, as Hogan and his wife, Sky, were baptized at Indian Rocks Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Largo, Fla.

Success and Scottie Scheffler have become practically synonymous lately. Yet, it’s the world’s top-ranked golfer’s comments on what constitutes true meaning — and more to the point, what doesn’t — that keeps grabbing attention. It comes within an interesting context. Sheffler cruised to a four-stroke win in The Open Championship with a 17-under performance.

Evan Carter helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023. But Carter — still just 22 — has faced multiple challenges over the past two seasons. He talked to Religion Unplugged about his journey as a ballplayer and, more importantly, as a person of deep Christian faith. “Baseball is what I do, but I try and not make it, as the cliché goes, who I am,” he said.

(ANALYSIS) Although he remains little known beyond the country of his birth, Rinus Israël, who died July 1 in the Netherlands at age 83, was one of history’s great Jewish soccer players. In 1970, as captain of Feyenoord, Israël was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup (the equivalent of today’s Champions League trophy).

DeMeco Ryans’ sermon coincided with the start of Vacation Bible School at Fifth Ward, just off heavily traveled Interstate 10 in view of high-rises and Daikin Park, home of MLB’s Houston Astros. The church — about 11 miles from NRG Stadium, where the Texans play — traces its roots to the 1930s tent revivals of the famous traveling evangelist Marshall Keeble.

(ANALYSIS) Déjà vu is a common occurrence in sports and the Edmonton Oilers are no strangers to repeat matchups. The team faced off against the New York Islanders in both 1983 and ’84 for hockey’s biggest prize. In this year’s Stanley Cup finals, the Oilers will try to avenge their 2024 loss to the Florida Panthers.

On a recent 78-degree Saturday afternoon, a U.S. flag and the Detroit Tigers’ four World Series championship banners — from 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984 — flapped in the Comerica Park breeze. For nearly four decades, Home Plate Detroit has brought fans together to pray and hear player testimonials. In the Motor City and elsewhere, these events mix a faith-based message with a major league game.

The link between the papacy and the sporting world looks set to continue under Pope Leo XIV. With a new pope installed as Francis’ successor, that sporting theme could continue in the Vatican, though the center of gravity may migrate from soccer to baseball. As befitting a U.S. pope, Leo is known to be a fan of the national pastime, in particular the Chicago White Sox.

The smell of popcorn wafts through the air, ball players are raring to go, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” plays through the sound system, and parents are ready to cheer their kids on. It sounds like an everyday American Little League baseball game, but this league is different. With absolute joy on their faces, some waving their hands, these young players are affected by various disabilities. Some are in wheelchairs, others are non-verbal.

A natural athlete who took to the sport quickly, Kayden Beasley’s growth originally placed him in a substitute role for this season. His stature has grown to where he was recently named to the team’s roster — trimmed by one spot — for the World Para Ice Hockey Championship in Buffalo at the end of May. A Christian, he left earlier this month for training camp in Madison, Wisc.

Zeev Buium took the ice on Sunday for the Minnesota Wild, becoming the first NHL player born to Israeli parents and one of more than a dozen Jewish players to feature in a game this season. He might also be the first in the league with a tattoo featuring Jewish calendar dates. His parents, Sorin and Miriam Buium, immigrated in 1999 from Ashdod, a city in Israel, to San Diego.

When the Portland Trail Blazers gave up four draft picks for Deni Avdija last summer, it seemed like an overpay. Avdija, the league’s only Israeli-born player, was coming off a breakout fourth season for the Washington Wizards. But his stats had popped so much that some regression felt almost inevitable. Instead, as the focal point of a young, head-turning team, Avdija’s gotten even better.

Walk through the doors of St. Peter’s Church in the English town of Shipley, in West Yorkshire, and this Anglican house of worship can sometimes result in a very unexpected sight. Forget rows of pews leading down to a main altar. Instead, you’ll find a WWE-style ring featuring wrestlers acting out Bible stories to the delight of those watching.

They lined up on March 2, ready to enter the baptistry at First Southern Baptist Church. College athletes, all of them. Emerging from the water symbolized a new start for them. The pastor’s name is Doyle Pryor. Imagine what a guy named Doyle Pryor would look, sound and be like. Odds are you imagine a preacher with a big personality and even bigger desire to do whatever it takes to reach others for Christ.

The best week in sports is upon us once again. The men’s NCAA basket tournament — a time known as “March Madness” — brings with it office pools and, very often, plenty of surprises. It’s a long road to the championship game and a lot will happen between now and April 7. Here are five religiously-affiliated schools that could turn into Cinderella teams and pull off some upsets.

(BOOK EXCERPT) In the late 1970s, the San Francisco Bay Area sportswriters labeled the growing group of born-again Christians on the San Francisco Giants the "God Squad." When the God Squadders helped propel the team to a strong 1978 season, challenging the Dodgers and Reds, they often gave God the credit in post-game interviews. The press raised no objection. In 1979, when the Giants' fortunes faded, sportswriters were quick to blame the born-again players.

In the extreme sport of ice swimming, the appropriately named Winters holds the world record for the oldest person to swim an ice mile, officially noted by the International Ice Swimming Association. “I first got into ice swimming just because I’d read that it was the most extreme swimming challenge in the world,” he said, “and basically just to see if I could do it and challenge myself.”

Dikembe Mutombo’s towering presence on the basketball court made him a household name. With his signature finger wag and shot-blocking ability, he dominated the NBA for nearly two decades. But it’s his legacy off the court that set him apart as an icon of compassion and service. His parents, both Baptists, instilled in him values of kindness, humility and service to others. These principles would shape Mutombo’s identity as a man and player.

Alex Bregman, the slugging third baseman who wore a Star of David on his cap following the Oct. 7 attacks, reportedly signed with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in a contract that will give him the highest salary ever for a Jewish baseball player. The three-year, $120 million deal officially closes Bregman’s tenure with Houston Astros, the team that drafted him second overall in 2015.

A tiny cross is perched atop the church. In front, a bright red bicycle repair station and a brown-and-white sign proclaims “Spoke’n Hostel” to greet visitors. Not only does this church-turned-hostel offer the cheapest accommodations — just $35 a night — in this remote part of the state, but its reputation for warm hospitality has earned two awards from Oregon’s governor’s office.

(OPINION) It’s gratifying to see new government policies which align with God’s creational order, yet this is not the end of our witness on this issue. Our churches should both be eager to declare what is good and true and beautiful about biblical masculinity and femininity and read to help those who struggle with gender dysphoria find hope in the Gospel and the resurrection of the body at the end of the age.

President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports, directing agencies to withdraw federal funding for any schools that refused to comply. The step, taken on National Girls & Women in Sports Day, is one of several by the new president regarding gender.

Judging by the television audience, Americans certainly care about the Super Bowl. Few, however, think God shares their concern. Last year’s Super Bowl drew more than 123.7 million U.S. viewers, the largest TV viewership in history. Yet, most U.S. adults don’t believe God cares who wins the big game or determines the the winner, according to a new study.