(ANALYSIS) The last three years have seen the Taliban placing restrictions on all aspects of women’s lives in Afghanistan. From education to employment. From movement to participation in everyday activities. When the international community thought that it could not get any worse for women in Afghanistan, the Taliban kept coming up with new ways how to impose more restrictions on women.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Trust in American institutions has eroded significantly over the last several decades — things like major companies, the federal government, and the scientific community. But given the name of this newsletter, I bet you can guess which institution I want to focus on today: organized religion.
Read MoreThe high number of practicing Christian quarterbacks in the NFL is a multifaceted phenomenon rooted in cultural, social and personal factors. Christianity offers these men a foundation for moral guidance, mental fortitude and a sense of community — all of which are essential to the demanding life of an NFL quarterback and win a Super Bowl.
Read MoreThis year’s March for Life, which is understood to be the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, marks the third time the event has been held since the historic overturning of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which returned abortion legislation to the states.
Read MoreEpiscopalians own the cathedral of D.C. culture Thus, journalists embedded in Beltway life applauded Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump’s latest inaugural speech was notable not for its inclusion of God but for the specific personal nature of what he said.
Read MoreIn November, Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced that starting this month, churches in the country would be expected to pay taxes. The announcement caused apprehension among religious leaders, prompting the country’s tax agency, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, to clarify that the new tax would apply only to churches’ trading income, not tithes and offerings.
Read More(OPINION) I have one bit of advice for all those people fuming over Elon Musk’s hand gestures: Stop. I know it’s tough to resist the temptation to go into full outrage mode over the apparent Nazi gesture Musk made during an Inauguration Day speech at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. A lot of energy has gone into parsing Musk’s gesture, and attacking those who don’t see it your way.
Read MoreShrinking church attendance. Closing congregations. Minister shortages. Post-COVID upheaval. All those factors contributed to the strong interest in the dialogue organized by Heritage21, which partners with churches to — as the ministry puts it — “renew, repurpose and replant God’s kingdom in these challenging times.”
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds few hold or teach beliefs connected to the prosperity gospel, the theological movement that teaches God wants to make followers materially wealthy and will do so if individuals hold certain beliefs or perform specific actions.
Read More(ANALYSIS) While many critics accuse the Babylon Bee of spreading political misinformation — the website's motto is “Fake News You Can Trust” — controversies about its work usually center on clashes between religious doctrines and powerful trends in modern life, such as the sexual revolution.
Read MoreIn the late 1950s, a young man named James O. Maxwell enrolled at Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas. Maxwell’s time at Southwestern — the only historically Black higher education institution associated with Churches of Christ — changed his life, and he became one of the fellowship’s most influential ministers.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Luce, the anime-inspired official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, whose name means “light” in Italian, has been getting a lot of attention on social media. Some people love the cartoon and find her “cute,” but a few others consider her “unsuitable” and even “repugnant.”
Read MoreThe King’s College — the four-year evangelical school in New York City forced to shut its doors to students in 2023 under a mountain of debt — is seeking to resume operations in an effort to “create a significant center for Christian higher learning.” The school temporarily closed in 2023 following a budget shortfall. The search for a partner has been a fruitless one for King’s in the past.
Read MoreAccording to Landon Schott, lead pastor of the adjacent Mercy Culture megachurch, the Oakhurst neighborhood is inhabited by people he believes to be “witches” and “warlocks” who are putting up “insane demonic resistance” to the work of God.
Read MoreAs Ramadan approaches, the prayers of Kashmir’s people resonate more deeply than ever. They pray for peace, not just for themselves, but for a future where their children can live without fear. These prayers are imbued with the hope that one day, the beauty of their homeland will no longer be overshadowed by its pain. Until that day comes, their faith remains a beacon of hope in a land of unyielding beauty and resilience, a testament to the enduring spirit of a people determined to find peace amid the chaos.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump has halted for at least 90 days a refugee admissions program that resettled 100,000 individuals fleeing persecution in fiscal year 2024, including nearly 30,000 Christians. By an executive order Monday, Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests” of the nation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022.
Read MoreIn Israel after the 1967 War, Tamar’s sister-in-law, Hadas, is killed in a terror attack. In reality, Hadas was dating a Palestinian man, Daoud — a taboo in wartime Israel — and her death was a crime of passion. In the book, only Tamar knows the truth, and she keeps it a secret. Tamar immigrates to the U.S. with her husband and kids. When Tamar’s teenage daughter falls in love with the son of a Palestinian family, Tamar fears that history will repeat.
Read MoreDallas-based Gateway Church has announced its interim pastors are staying on while the search for an executive pastor continues. Pastors Max Lucado and Joakim Lundqvist first joined the church as temporary teaching pastors at the church in July 2024 after decades-old child sex abuse allegations became public, The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported.
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