Posts in Analysis
Pope Leo XIV Clears Up Confusion When It Comes To The Amazon

(ANALYSIS) In a moment of both theological significance and pastoral clarity, Pope Leo XIV made his most consequential intervention yet on the church’s role in the Amazon. In a recent message, the pope struck a firm tone to 90 South American bishops meeting in Bogota, Colombia — affirming the Catholic Church’s mission and offering a course correction from the recent past.

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How College Shapes Students’ Views Of Other Faiths

(ANALYSIS) Students at elite universities tend to talk a good game when it comes to religious pluralism. Many of them show up on day one already saying all the right things about respecting different faiths. Here’s the paradox: They don’t grow from there, according to research published in The Journal of Higher Education. Students at less selective colleges, meanwhile, do develop more pluralistic attitudes.

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🏈 How A Prominent National College Football Writer Became A Small-Town Pastor 🔌

George Schroeder loves college football. He just loves Jesus more. After over a quarter-century as a sportswriter, Schroeder found a new calling in ministry.

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By ‘Focusing On The Family,’ James Dobson Helped Propel Evangelicals Into Politics

(ANALYSIS) For decades, one name was ubiquitous in American evangelical homes: Focus on the Family. A media empire with millions of listeners and readers, its messages about parenting, marriage and politics seemed to reach every conservative Christian church and school. And one man’s name was nearly synonymous with Focus on the Family: James Dobson.

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Day Commemorating Victims Of Religious Violence Highlights Rising Global Trend

(ANALYSIS) August 22nd marks the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, a day established by the U.N. General Assembly to condemn acts of violence targeting individuals on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.

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On Religion: Tolkien, Lewis And Great Post-World War I Myths

(ANALYSIS) A young J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: “The fume of the burning, and the steam of the fair fountains of Gondolin withering in the flame of the dragons of the north, fell upon the vale of Tumladen in mournful mists.” The battlefields were “cold and terrible.”

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4 Types Of Nones: Study Explores Spiritual Yearning In Post-Religious America

(ANALYSIS) To create our new typology of the nones, we used a bit of machine learning. In this case, it was k-means clustering. It’s a pretty simple process, really. You pick some variables that you think that might be meaningful in creating categories and then let the algorithm find commonalities in the dataset.

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UK Lawyers Sound Alarm On Repression Of Iranian Journalists Worldwide

(ANALYSIS) International lawyers from a U.K.-based Doughty Street Chambers and Howard Kennedy raised the dire situation of Iranian journalists globally, with several of them being subjected to serious threats.  According to their statement, over the past six weeks, Iranian authorities have intimidated and threatened 45 journalists and 315 of their family members. 

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Pope Leo XIV’s First 100 Days: A Listening Papacy In The Making

(ANALYSIS) The first 100 days of a U.S. president’s term are a widely recognized milestone, often scrutinized for signs of momentum, direction or policy implementation. But the same metric, when applied to a newly elected pope, serves a very different purpose. A pope, however, enters office without the expectations of an electoral mandate — yet still under the global spotlight.

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Hope, Sacrifice And Resurrection: Why Superman Is Christ In A Cape

(ANALYSIS) This summer’s “Superman” is more than just another superhero movie. James Gunn's latest, starring David Corenswet, offers something different: A return to the character's core — not just as a cultural icon, but as a figure imbued with spiritual and moral gravity. Because Superman has always been religious. Maybe not explicitly, but unmistakably.

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📰 ‘Our Job Is Not To Cover Up Sin’: Reporter Jerry Mitchell On Faith And Journalism 🔌

Legendary journalist Jerry Mitchell reflects on faith and journalism. “The church is supposed to take care of sin,” Mitchell says. “We’re not supposed to wink at it or cover it up.”

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Crossroads Podcast: Marriage Isn’t Dead — But Reporting On It Might Be

This old-school journalism issue loomed over this week’s “Crossroads” podcast as we discussed a new essay in The Atlantic — “Why Marriage Survives” — by sociologist Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia.

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Understanding Who — And What — Chaplains Are Varies Widely

(ANALYSIS) There is an ongoing push to make chaplains available in public schools across the United States. Chaplains, also called spiritual caregivers, are religious professionals who work in secular institutions and can be of any tradition or none at all. Indiana is currently considering a bill that would allow chaplains in public schools to provide “support services.”

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Beyond Brute Strength: A New Look At Samson’s Search For Intimacy

(ANALYSIS) By reevaluating the Samson narrative, readers can move beyond the one-dimensional portrayal of him as an overly masculine brute. His story is not just one of strength but also of longing and deep emotional vulnerability. His riddle may not be a challenge meant to humiliate his enemies, but an expression of personal connection.

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On Religion: How The Trump Era Transformed Colbert’s Satire Into Sermon

(ANALYSIS) While Stephen Colbert retains a faithful congregation, some fans who loved his sly blend of satire and progressive Catholicism mourn his decision to preach to only half of America, said media scholar Terry Lindvall, author of "God Mocks: A History of Religious Satire from the Hebrew Prophets to Stephen Colbert,” published in 2015.

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Dealing With Harsh Realities Of Life: Being Thoughtful With Christian Ethics

(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.

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