(OPINION) The massacre in Sydney has left Jews around the world shaken and grieving. This act is far more than a heinous crime: It is a regression to darker times, when Jewish visibility itself carried mortal risk. The commandment of Hanukkah is not simply to light candles, but to light them publicly.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With 15 civilians and one gunman dead so far, and another 40 people injured, Australia is reeling from its worst act of terrorism on home soil. Two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish community gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah at Archer Park on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach.
Read MoreA Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach turned deadly on Sunday with updated reports of at least 15 dead, including a Chabad rabbi, a Holocaust survivor and a 12-year-old girl. One suspect was killed at the scene and the other was arrested, in a targeted attack on Jews that authorities are investigating as terrorism.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The 2025 Story of the Year in religion is obviously the surprise May 8 election of the first Pope from the United States, Leo XIV. The second-place story, less publicized but important, is the Oct. 16 proclamation of a planned split among the world’s 97 million Anglican Christians over their anguishing dispute on the Bible and sexual morality.
Read MoreChaplaincy remains common in both private and state schools in Australia despite the decreasing Christian demographic. Often included on schools’ well-being teams, chaplains offer spiritual guidance alongside counselors and social workers.
Read MoreJada Electra Black has a big dream. The Christian teen would like to serve as prime minister of Australia. “That’s my goal,” said Black, who attends Redlands College, a K-12 school associated with Churches of Christ. “I want to study law and justice. I want to be a lawyer. But ultimately, I really want to be a politician.”
Read MoreAn investigation into embattled Hillsong Church by the top-rated news outlet in Australia has uncovered new revelations of financial and sexual misconduct, as key sources go on the record for the first time. “Hellsong: Hillsong Church Global Investigation” first aired on Australia’s 7News on April 23 and released Friday on YouTube.
Read MoreAfter first pleading not guilty to drunk driving charges, disgraced Hillsong founder Brian Houston has pleaded guilty to the charges and received three years’ probation, $140 in fines, and other penalties.
Read MoreDisgraced Hillsong founder Brian Houston has been charged with drunk driving in southern California, the latest of several legal charges facing the former megachurch pastor.
Read MoreNamed La’eeb — which FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, said is “an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player” — the World Cup mascot triggered plenty of confusion and scorn on social media. But the mascot was primarily an homage to Arab garments known as the “keffiyeh” and “thawb.”
Read MoreAccording to increasingly common interpretations of Orthodox Jewish law, any assisted reproductive technology — including egg and sperm extraction or IVF, which have grown in popularity in recent years — requires the presence of “mashgichim,” Jewish law supervisors. But not all Orthodox Jews agree with the practice.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The move — in the wake of a decades-old priest shortage — will grant women the chance to serve as lectors, read Scripture and serve as eucharistic ministers. The changes, however, will continue to forbid women from being made deacons or priests.
Read More(REVIEW) David Geisser’s new cookbook in time for the holidays, The Vatican Christmas Cookbook, offers up over 100 recipes from around the world.
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