One of Christianity’s last strongholds in the Middle East is rapidly losing Christians, who are fleeing the country after years of wars and economic failures. Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon earlier this month to encourage the nation’s young Catholics. But local young adults say it could be too little, too late.
Read MoreIt was a stunning reversal of fortunes. In October, Lazarus Chakwera, Malawi’s charismatic preacher-turned-politician who once promised to “serve both God and the people,” lost his presidential re-election bid to long-time rival Peter Mutharika, who was formerly president himself from 2014 to 2020.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In Laos, Christian burials are barred from cemeteries, churches have to find improvised worship spaces, and Christians are often pressured to engage in activities that go against their religion. And with neighboring China’s new influence, it may get even worse.
Read MoreFor more than a decade, Hindu businessman Balwant Rathore and his Muslim partner Mohammad Harun have run their shop together. Then, without warning, they were told to vacate their shop. Blaming “Love Jihad”, a Hindu nationalist leader’s son ordered Muslims to leave the market.
Read MoreThe shrine, once crowded day and night with devotees, now stands eerily deserted. For weeks, it has remained sealed as a crime scene after a mob attack left one of his followers dead. Since August 2024, more than 100 shrines have been attacked or vandalized, according to rights groups.
Read MoreIn the last decade, more than a dozen coups have shaken West Africa and the Sahel. Amid this turmoil, religious leaders are emerging as stabilizers who are guiding dialogue and providing a moral compass in societies caught between soldiers and fractured civilian states.
Read More(ANALYSIS) European lawmakers have criticized Serbia’s use of force against anti-government protesters. But the Serbian Orthodox Church — representing 85 percent of the country’s population — has been largely urged the student protestors to “go back to their classes” and not protest.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Ethiopia stands at a critical juncture. Years of civil war and ethnic strife have left deep wounds and a fragile peace. The northern civil war that ended in 2022 alone caused an estimated 600,000 deaths and displaced millions. Atrocities were committed by all sides, including the government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Eritrean troops.
Read MoreThe Anglican Church of Uganda has unveiled a digital land information management system to curb rampant land grabbing that threatens its vast properties. Land grabbing remains one of the church’s most pressing challenges in Uganda. Illegal squatters and unscrupulous land dealers have deprived the institution of the property church leaders had planned to develop for religious schools and worship space.
Read More(REVIEW) The book boldly gives a brave, honest and forceful account of the realities of the effect of colonialism on Anglicanism past and present, Percy critically examines how the Anglican Church, which served as both a spiritual arm and a moral justification for British imperial expansion, is now struggling with the enduring legacy of complicity in slavery and colonialism.
Read MoreLast year, a handful of Salesian nuns worked to keep a small school and religious center in Khartoum open. As siege-like conditions worsened, they coordinated with Sudanese officials for an escape. An investigation by Religion Unplugged has revealed new details about the operation that were previously undisclosed.
Read MoreThe church’s initiatives involve venturing into coffee farming to transform unused land into productive agricultural spaces, mass registration of untitled church land, issuing spiritual warnings and pursuing legal action against land grabbers. The plan will safeguard property and contribute to economic growth — ensuring that church land remains a valuable resource for future generations.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Feb. 9 resignation of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, which conveys little remorse or admission of failure, must at least be followed by swift and constitutionally sound action from Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to ensure that this potential first step toward resolving the prolonged conflict is somewhat effective.
Read MoreTen Catholic priests and a seminarian were murdered during the six-year term of former Mexican President López Obrador that ended Sept. 30, the Catholic Multimedia Center said in its 2024 annual report.
Read MoreThe autopsy reports reveal that each of the deceased sustained multiple gunshot wounds from behind. This pattern of injury indicates that the young men were either fleeing or not directly engaging at the time they were fatally shot.
Read MoreAfter MinistryWatch published an article about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the administrative commission (AC) of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies filed additional charges and an indictment against Pastor Nate Devlin and the Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church session (or board of elders). The trial could result in punishment ranging from admonition to excommunication.
Read MoreResponding to a lawsuit accusing Dallas-based Gateway Church of financial fraud, Gateway Elder Tra Willbanks assured congregants over the weekend that the church has “independently audited financial statements since 2005.” However, a “seasoned CPA,” told The Roys Report (TRR) that Gateway did not conduct any audits during his time on staff, from 2011-2014.
Read MoreA Christian billionaire and philanthropist accused of inflating a business portfolio to $36 billion was convicted Wednesday on several counts of financial fraud. Sung Kook “Bill” Hwang, founder and co-CEO of Archegos Capital Management, was convicted by a federal jury on 10 criminal counts,
Read MoreEarlier this month, billionaire trader and philanthropist Bill Hwang appeared in court to answer for his role in a high-stakes Wall Street meltdown that saw several large banks lose billions in days. Jury selection began last week, followed by opening statements and the first witness testimony on Monday. The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
Read MoreIn the “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church,” Sarah McCammon, a national political correspondent for NPR, shares — with a sometimes visceral honesty — the everyday currency of childhood in an evangelical subculture in which the Bible was the ultimate authority.
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