While the rest of the world was in and out of lockdown during the not-so-roaring pandemic of the early 2020s, a small enclave in Beijing had folks sweating, holding strangers’ hands and dancing to jazz that crackled in the stagnant air of bars and basements like lightning.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Once the cranes disappear, the basilica will cease from being an evolving construction project and instead become something more fixed — a monument subject to preservation battles, increased tourism pressures and the inevitable weight of history. Nonetheless, Pope Leo’s Spain trip, with a stop in Barcelona, represents the fulfillment of decades of hard work.
Read More(REVIEW) Sid Klein has finally found his subject. More than half a century after he scrambled to pick a topic for his senior art project at Brooklyn College in New York — and settled on exploring the porcelain curves of a toilet bowl in a 20-painting series — he’s discovered a purpose.
Read More(REVIEW) Carol Bove’s Guggenheim survey reveals how Zen Buddhism, countercultural spirituality and mystical philosophy underpin her sculptures and installations. From bookshelf assemblages to monumental crushed steel works, Bove uses art to challenge perception, evoke presence and explore the intersection of modernism, meditation and embodiment.
Read More(OPINION) In my childhood, Catholics were encouraged to “make a visit” to church to light a candle for the sick or say a prayer for some special intention. Though I (and many others) fell out of this practice over the years, I found myself once again “making a visit” to churches when I began to study, teach and travel abroad.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As July 4, approaches, Americans will be paying more attention than usual to events of 1776: the year the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Public historians, including filmmaker Ken Burns, have tried to offer a more inclusive view of the American Revolution, highlighting lesser-known patriots.
Read More(REVIEW) A new biography explores David Bowie’s spiritual life beneath his flamboyant personas, especially Ziggy Stardust. Drawing on interviews and songs, it portrays a restless seeker shaped by diverse religious influences, whose music reflected an ongoing quest to understand God, faith and existence beyond organized religion.
Read MoreFar from isolated, this case reflects a growing wave of church thefts across France targeting religious art. Last year, the French Interior Ministry recorded about 538 thefts of religious items — an 11% increase from the year before. People usually steal things like chalices, statues, paintings, relics and other religious items from churches and other places of worship.
Read MoreAre the U.K.’s church pipe organs under threat? A new report from Pipe Up, a charity created in 2022 to save pipe organs from what it calls a “wave of destruction,” claims that Britain’s church organs are heading toward extinction unless action is taken.
Read MoreThe rise of charismatic Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe in the last two decades has resulted in the faith groups using open spaces and acquiring stands within residential suburbs to conduct church services. The services include prayer meetings, all-night fellowship and praise and worship concerts.
Read More(REVIEW) This concert marked the first world premiere in the Sistine Chapel. Yet, what lingered most was not the sense of history being made, but the work itself: A meditation on divine presence. In a space accustomed to silence rather than sound, “Angels Unawares” felt less like an interruption and more like a natural extension of the place.
Read MoreChristian musician Phillip Vaught is behind bars in Tennessee after being charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.
Read MoreIn Wales, hymn singing is not just for church services. It is part of the national culture, a unique choral tradition. You can hear them sung in pubs, concerts, choral competitions and even rugby games.
Read MoreA new report from the Pew Research Center found that religious radio stations remain ubiquitous — with 98% of U.S. adults living within the local coverage area of at least one of them. The report found that an “overwhelming majority” of those stations are Christian. Despite the rise of digital media, 45% of U.S. adults say they’ve listened to religious programming on the radio.
Read More(REVIEW) In 1954, the Oscar-winning composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold staged a European homecoming with a new operetta. How this came to pass — and how his planned comeback failed to materialize — is even more convoluted than the piece’s farcical plot. Korngold, a Jewish refugee from Vienna, first came to Hollywood to adapt Felix Mendelssohn’s music for Max Reinhardt’s 1935 film of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Read MoreA former Ohio worship pastor and American Idol contestant, accused of murdering his wife pleaded not guilty to 11 charges during a March 19 arraignment.
Read MoreThe island unfolds as a constellation of churches and cathedrals. Malta is often said to have more churches per square mile than any other country in the world. Whether or not that statistic is exact is debatable, but the impression is undeniable. While St. Paul’s arrival links Malta to the early church, Caravaggio’s genius shows just how powerful this belief has been over the centuries.
Read More(REVIEW) Marking the 150th anniversary of Gwen John’s birth, the exhibition “Gwen John: Strange Beauties” explores how her conversion to Catholicism shaped her art. Featuring paintings and rarely seen works on paper, it reveals how faith, solitude and subtle repetition informed the Welsh artist’s quietly modern and deeply contemplative practice.
Read MoreMany of the most enduring displays of human artistic greatness have been, in some way, religious. In today's secular world, the purpose of art is much more varied. Culture Critic Joseph Holmes interviewed actor, director, and producer David Henrie about his recent documentary series “Seeking Beauty.”
Read MoreStained 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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