(ANALYSIS) Hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. are living in uncertain times. On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could proceed with a plan to end Temporary Protected Status — a federal program that allows people to stay in the United States when the government considers their own country unsafe — for around 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A leaderless protest movement in New Delhi has evolved into a broader rejection of the divisive politics associated with Hindu nationalism. Sparked by a police crackdown, demonstrators have created an unusually inclusive public space where people of different faiths, castes, genders and backgrounds gather in solidarity.
Read MoreWe’re curious to know what sticks. So it’s time for a Weekend Plug-in pop quiz. When you click the right answer, the related column will appear.
Read MoreThe new prime minister will almost certainly have a short political honeymoon. How will he handle his first public meeting with Pope Leo XIV? In terms of symbolism, will he seek a blessing?
Read MoreMove over history, crime and literature. Escape room themes featuring faith and the Bible are taking over in the United Kingdom. Churches and social groups are turning to this popular leisure activity and using it to challenge people to think about spirituality, life and even their connections with science.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Vatican’s latest statement on the canonical trial of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik was intended to quash rumors that one of the Catholic Church’s most controversial abuse cases had quietly ended in acquittal. Instead, it highlighted a different issue: The secretive process by which the church’s judicial system operates and whether it’s capable of delivering justice.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I’ve long been a fan of history. The first paper I can remember writing was on World War II. History was one of the majors I came out of college with, and wrestling with the relationship between history and faith was (is) difficult, formative work.
Read More(ANALYSIS) At the box office, “Toy Story 5” is nearing $1 billion in global ticket sales. The movie isn’t perfect, but some religious leaders should note what Pixar got right about parents getting involved in the digital lives of their children.
Read More(OPINION) The problem is not that Christians care about justice or participate in public life. The problem arises when Christianity becomes a vehicle for advancing political agendas.
Read MoreAmid a civil war, the government army finally reclaimed Emelda Vonve’s home city. She could finally go back to her church. She saw the priest. She saw faces she hadn’t seen since before the war. They prayed together, aloud, as a congregation, as they used to. Outside, 15 police cars were waiting to arrest them.
Read MoreFather Vladimiras Seliavko risked everything when he decided to condemn the Russian war against Ukraine. As a result, his parishioners turned into his enemies, his relatives abandoned him and he was branded a traitor. On the other hand, he said it was impossible to be a priest who blesses war criminals.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For Iran’s Baha’i community, the country’s latest political upheaval has revived a painful historical pattern: Whenever the Islamic Republic faces existential pressure, one of its first responses is to intensify its campaign against vulnerable religious minorities. The case of Peyvand Naimi and his cousin Borna Naimi illustrates this dynamic.
Read MorePastor Darryl Baker thought it might be best to cancel the outreach. Days before a scheduled sports camp in a Columbus neighborhood, a husband shot and stabbed multiple times his estranged wife and preteen stepdaughter, murdering them.
Read MoreAn ethics professor breaks down a recent study exposing religious bias in all major AI models. He thinks throwing out all bias is a bad idea.
Read MoreOver the past decade, churchgoers are more likely to see someone of a different ethnicity in their congregation but less likely to hear about that racial diversity from the pulpit. A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds churches have seemingly grown more diverse, while pastors have grown less likely to see that diversity as a goal and preach about racial reconciliation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) To be sure, embryo adoption occupies a small corner of U.S. fertility medicine. Few people choose to donate remaining embryos for procreative use. Nor is embryonic personhood a popular idea: Only 39% of Americans support laws declaring that human life begins at fertilization. A majority of white evangelical Protestants, Hispanic Protestants and Latter-day Saints support that view, yet majorities of these religious groups also oppose banning IVF.
Read MoreEswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is one of Africa’s most religious nations. In fact, about 90 percent identify as Christian. However, faith in the kingdom is far from uniform. A king and queen hold absolute power, but it is used to help integrate cultures and foster inter-religious understanding.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s a running joke in American religious life that goes something like this: Ask 10 Catholics what the church teaches on a given issue, and you’ll get eleven different answers. It’s meant to be affectionate, a nod to the big-tent nature of a tradition that has managed to hold together nearly a billion people across wildly different cultures, languages and political contexts.
Read MoreAs global headlines celebrated the release of one prominent Chinese minister, the wife of another pastor is pleading with the world not to forget those still jailed in China. “Zion Church has eight leaders still detained,” said Sister Su Ziming, wife of Pastor Wang Lin, who leads Beijing Zion Church alongside the recently released Pastor Ezra Jin. “Our family and the others all eagerly await reunion.”
Read MoreWhile other community members chase modernity, migrating to cities for greener pastures due to recurring economic hardship, members of the Mennonite church, like Charles Ncube, a father of four, believe in faith-based farming, through which he is able to fend for his family and help needy neighbors.
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