Lessons Learned After the Bomb Thrown Outside Mamdani’s Home

What can news consumers learn from this complicated drama? Surely it is a commentary on the age in which we live that many Americans laughed when they read the early New York Times headline about the terrorist attack that fizzled near the New York home of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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🌎 Godbeat Globetrotting: 5 Memorable Moments In World Religion Reporting 🔌

Inevitably, international reporting trips produce a memorable moment, be it frightening, frantic or funny. Sometimes, the notable occurrence relates to the actual story. Other times, an indelible personal experience stands out.

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March Madness Fuels Surge In Betting — And Concerns For Young Gamblers

Sports gambling doesn’t have a specific season, but certain times of the year are considered to be its Super Bowl or March Madness. Crowning the National Football League champion remains the biggest single-game bet among Americans. The next few weeks, however, bring a tsunami of gambling due not only to March Madness’ popularity, but also the sheer number of games on which to wager.

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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ And The Spiritual Divide Behind The Christian Backlash

(ANALYSIS) “KPop Demon Hunters,” a global hit, has sparked debate among Christians over whether its themes are spiritually dangerous. The controversy reflects deeper cultural shifts in Korea and the U.S., where declining organized religion and rising spirituality are widening divides between traditional beliefs and a newer ethos.

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As Iran War Expands, Some Christians See The Conflict Through Biblical Prophecies

(ANALYSIS) As the American and Israeli war with Iran unfolds, some American Christians are speaking of the conflict in biblical terms — mapping end-time prophecies on to current events in the Middle East. In a sermon on March 1, for example, John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, described the war as part of a divine plan.

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Medieval Europe’s Ideas About ‘Christendom’ And Power Were Not So Simple

(ANALYSIS) During the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, Paula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House Office of Faith, introduced President Donald Trump as “the greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive branch.” Taking the podium after her, Trump declared, “I’ve done more for religion than any other president.”

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As Paganism Grows, Leaders Come Together Around An Often Solitary Practice

Every morning begins the same for Paul Ridlon, who also goes by Magnus de Rhuddlan. No matter the weather, he steps out of the round yurt where he lives in Portland, Maine, and lights incense at his southern altar, a tree stump topped with two crane statues and a figurine of the Egyptian god Horus.

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Episcopal Church Faces Stark Demographic Reality As Membership Declines

(ANALYSIS) Political scientist Ryan Burge warns the aging Episcopal Church faces steep membership decline, with two-thirds of members over 60 and few young adults joining. Leaders acknowledge shrinking numbers but reject predictions of institutional collapse, urging renewal and outreach as part of a broader decline among America’s mainline Protestant denominations.

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Pastors Say Evangelism Getting An Upward Boost Through Youth Sports

Upward Sports was founded in 1995 and, according to the organization, has grown to become the world’s largest Christian youth sports ministry. Local churches provide more than 1,500 Upward Sports experiences that include a myriad of activities such as basketball, soccer, cheer, volleyball, flag football, baseball, softball and pickleball.

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Reel Faith Vs. Real Faith: Catholicism In The Movies Through The Years

(ANALYSIS) “Write what you know,” is advice given to many who feel inspired to take up the pen — or, these days, sit at a computer. When it comes to writing about religion, though, including the Catholic Church, it’s amazing how little some writers know (including those who are Catholic themselves). This is evident, where scenes depict liturgies or other expressions of faith and get them wrong.

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The Votes Are In: Why This Is England’s Best Stained Glass Window

Stained glass is a highlight of English cathedrals, with many windows dating to medieval times. Tourists admire famous examples like York Cathedral’s Rose Window, St. George’s Chapel’s West Window in Windsor and Basil Spence’s Baptistry window at Coventry. In a recent public campaign, Carlisle Cathedral’s magnificent East Window was voted the nation’s favorite.

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From Shock To Ritual: Inside Iran’s 40 Days Of Mourning After Khamenei’s Killing

As you approach Iranian houses of worship, you’ll hear it: Locals striking their chests and rhythmically chanting laments to grieve the recent death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death. Each movement carries a dual meaning — expressing both personal grief while signaling loyalty to both a religious leader and a totalitarian state.

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Conservative Anglicans Reshape Church Leadership At Historic Gathering

It’s a rupture that may not be reversible. Conservative Anglicans from around the world voted to part ways with the church’s leadership in England. When Sarah Mullally — the first woman chosen as the Archbishop of Canterbury — is formally installed later this month, she will be inheriting a church already reorganizing itself without her.

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Rich Irony: How A Marxist Philosopher Discovered The Limits Of Godlessness

(ANALYSIS) Alasdair MacIntyre’s journey from Marxism to Catholicism wasn’t a retreat from critique but its completion. He concluded that moral language collapsed without God, that virtue needs tradition and that societies survive only when they share a vision of what human life is ultimately for.

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2026 Academy Awards Preview: What Do The Oscars Have To Say About Religion?

With the Oscars being awarded this Sunday, Religion Unplugged’s Culture Editor Jillian Cheney and chief film critic Joseph Holmes sat down with theologian Paul Anleitner, an author and the President and CEO of Goodmakers. Cheney, Holmes and Anleitner discussed the spiritual and religious themes of some of this year’s most-beloved nominees.

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In Order to Maintain Aging Monasteries, Spanish Nuns Are Becoming Entrepreneurs

It’s a modern solution to an age-old issue. Many centuries-old monasteries are turning to Etsy-style e-commerce and renovating their convents to appeal to the growing Airbnb crowd. Like other religious establishments in Spain, Catholic nuns have had to think of new ways to generate income in the face of skyrocketing maintenance costs.

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Churchgoers Aim To Serve In And Out Of Church

Serving God and others is one of eight key signposts measuring distinct characteristics for believers progressing in their spiritual maturity, according to the Lifeway Research State of Discipleship study. The average U.S. Protestant churchgoer scores 73.1 out of 100 in serving God and others, placing it third among the signposts.

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Lawsuit Claims Laurie’s Church Covered Up Sexual Misconduct

These stories tumbled into public view in a court filing in a lawsuit against Laurie and Harvest. The filing consolidated the 23 lawsuits filed by survivors of alleged childhood sexual abuse by another former Harvest pastor, Paul Havsgaard. As reported previously by The Roys Report, the men and women who grew up in church-funded homes in Romania accuse Laurie and Harvest of covering up years of sexual abuse.

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Church Leaders Call For Christians To Protest Trump

(ANALYSIS) Our polarized era features unique and quasi-religious devotion toward President Donald Trump from his MAGA base, set against profound hostility from foes of his words and deeds. Church leaders in that second camp, mostly mainline and liberal Protestants, have issued a new plea worth noting for the extent of its supporters and a markedly fierce denunciation of America’s “cruel and oppressive government.” 

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