A combination of factors led to higher premiums for churches during the past five years, including weather, sexual abuse cases, changing state laws and ballooning jury awards in lawsuits. The shifting church insurance market has forced congregations to think creatively about their coverages to avoid breaking the bank.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo XIV travels to Latin America on Nov. 6, 2026, with a packed itinerary that will bring him through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It is Leo’s first trip to the region since his elevation to the papacy — and a homecoming for a pope who spent two decades in Peru and holds Peruvian citizenship.
Read MoreThe New York Times feature marking the band’s 50th anniversary — the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast — starts with U2 returning to Mount Temple to celebrate on the stage where the quartet did one of its first gigs. The lengthy interview: “50 Years In, What’s the Point of U2? Bono and the Edge Have Answers.”
Read More(REVIEW) While “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004 demonstrated Hollywood’s interest in the Christian moviegoing market, the Kendrick Brothers established what faith-based cinema would look like: Low-budget inspirational dramas about middle-class Christian families navigating life’s challenges. More than two decades later, the brothers have remade their original film.
Read MoreFor over a quarter-century, Anna Salton Eisen has worked to uncover — and share — the secrets of her father George Lucius Salton’s Holocaust experience. Her new documentary “In My Father’s Words” mixes interviews with her late father with historical footage, documents and pictures.
Read MoreThe Vatican — together with civil and religious leaders in Jordan — began preparations to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’s baptism in al-Maghtas, also called Bethany Beyond the Jordan, in 2030. While the Gospels are unclear about when Jesus was baptized, it undoubtedly followed John the Baptist’s revelation that it occurred in “the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) I am not here to judge those taking mind-altering medication. Rather, my point is that biology and theology now overlap in ways that make spiritual disconnection especially difficult to identify and understand. A parishioner who feels nothing while kneeling at the altar rail might be undergoing an enormous test of faith.
Read MoreRussell Brand, the British comedian who was baptized two years ago, then wrote a book about becoming a Christian, was convicted Thursday in London of rape and sexual assault against four women.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Most surveys are not particularly good at digging into the reasons why people aren’t reproducing anymore. However, we have a great new addition to the discourse about fertility because Pew has posted their American Trends Panel 147 on the Association of Religion Data Archives. The first line of the summary tells the whole story.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As both parties begin positioning themselves for the 2028 presidential election, faith could become one of the defining factors in determining which candidates connect with voters. The lesson from the midterms is that religious voters should no longer be viewed as a single political constituency.
Read More(ANALYSIS) No doubt about it, artificial intelligence agents are great at providing answers to basic questions that shape ordinary life.
Read MoreFaith emerged as one of the defining storylines of this election, influencing how candidates presented themselves, how voters understood issues and how young people connected their personal beliefs with their political choices. From James Talarico’s progressive interpretation of Christianity to Abdul El-Sayed, a practicing Muslim, religion became more than personal identity.
Read MoreThe results demonstrate that faith and politics often intersect in various ways. Moral questions are often put to voters, candidates’ interpretations of religious teachings and debates over the constitutional place of religion in public life were all on the ballot this year. These results are a prelude as voters prepare for the 2028 presidential race.
Read MoreOhio pastor Israel Ford, a bigamist whose recent announcement about his second wife made national headlines, is now being accused of sexual abuse.
Read MoreHow does a non-religious person who desires to be religious fully embrace a faith community? And how do religious people make their communities ones in which this is possible? Rabbi Noa Kushner’s new book, “Pretend You Believe,” might just have the answers you’re searching for.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Americans increasingly turn to religion for guidance on what to eat amid rising food costs, nutrition concerns and conflicting advice. Drawing on research into four religious alternative food movements, one researcher explores how faith shapes eating habits and inspires efforts to transform the American food system.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A new conservative Presbyterian denomination has broken from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church over whether men experiencing same-sex attraction may be ordained, even if celibate. The dispute coincides with renewed Catholic debate over clergy suitability, following a Notre Dame report supporting restrictions on candidates with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Muslim population of England and Wales is roughly 6.5 percent. Inside the prison system, that number shoots up to 18 percent. A huge slice of the prison demographic shifts toward Mecca the second the iron gates slam shut. The disparity is striking. What explains it?
Read MorePrague Zoo’s Hindu ashram — built in 2013 as an educational attraction — has evolved into a living religious space. Visitors toss coins, perform rituals and treat its statues as sacred. The site raises questions about cultural representation, religious authenticity and appropriation in a European tourist attraction.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Entrepreneur Peter Thiel casts America as a modern Rome, a restraining power standing between authoritarian control and civilizational collapse. But his vision raises a deeper theological danger: The force claiming to restrain evil may become evil itself. How can faith discern the difference before it’s too late?
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