(EXPLAINER) Hanukkah — known as “the festival of lights” — is a time of reflection and celebration for Jews across the world. Typically, the miracle of Hanukkah is celebrated in early to mid-December. Not this year. This holiday season, the start of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas Day. The eight-day celebration begins on Dec. 25 and continues into the new year.
Read MoreArchegos founder Bill Hwang, formerly one of the wealthiest evangelical philanthropists, will spend 18 years in prison for business practices that led to more than $10 billion in losses to Wall Street banks in March 2021.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The creative economy is about translating the inspiration of culture and ideas into high-value businesses and enterprises. For billions of people around the world their faith is a big source of inspiration and creativity. Artificial intelligence will be a major disruptor of our economy. It will also allow many people to join the ranks of the creative economy like never before. In essence, faith has a role to play in the unfurling of the next chapter in humanity’s economic story.
Read MoreHeading into the busiest shopping season of the year, many Americans may find meaning and purpose while they’re picking up gifts for others and themselves. A Lifeway Research study asked 1,200 U.S. adults their level of agreement with 10 statements related to issues of consumerism and contentment.
Read MoreIt turns out what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay there. In fact, sin is everywhere — from beer-loving Milwaukee to decadent New Orleans — meaning that the U.S. is filled with people behaving badly, a new study finds. The report compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 37 key indicators and seven sinful behaviors, including greed, lust, vanity and laziness.
Read MoreNearly 10% of Christian ministry leaders told MinistryWatch their ministry’s revenue has declined more than 10% over the last 12 months. That represents the highest response we have received showing a decrease in revenue since beginning the survey in October 2022.
Read MoreThe Roys Report has uncovered details about Morris’ wealth, calling into question whether the famous preacher’s emphasis on tithing — giving 10% to the church — was purely altruistic. Though it’s not publicly known how much Morris is worth today, Morris has bought and sold multiple multi-million-dollar properties in Texas.
Read MoreDonald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and returning to the White House for the second time following his unexpected victory in 2016. The win marked an unlikely political comeback for Trump. Faith voters were a big reason why Trump and the GOP dominated the 2024 election cycle.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Here’s a behind-the-scenes bit of information: I don’t have any raw data at my disposal about how religious groups are intending to vote in the 2024 presidential election. However, I do have a way to back into some information about how things should shake out come Tuesday night.
Read More(ANALYSIS) That was the eye-catching headline for a 2019 article. Last month, the watchdog website Ministry Watch pursued its long-running concern that’s also raised in a September article by University of Notre Dame law professor Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a tax expert.
Read MoreThe Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, no stranger to reducing tremendous suffering and damage in communities all over the world, has had to find a way to help others as well as themselves. In fact, once Hurricane Helene robbed millions of Americans of their electricity and running water, the focus had to become more local.
Read MoreGiving is down among evangelical Christians, according to a new study by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research. The study — called “The Giving Gap: Changes in Evangelical Generosity” — found that 61% of evangelicals say they gave to their church in the last 12 months. That is down 13 percentage points from 2021, when 74% reported giving to their local congregation.
Read MoreThe city is preparing for a jubilee year, a time when the Catholic Church invites pilgrims to Rome. The events, which will officially began on Christmas Eve this year and end on Dec. 28, 2025, constitute a special time dedicated to prayer and pilgrimage. Italy’s capital, which already draws an estimated 25 million visitors each year, could see that number increase to 32 million in 2025.
Read MoreReports showing sustained increases in food and home prices alongside a cooling labor market highlight a continuing challenge for churches.
Read MoreAccording to the annual State of the Church Compensation Survey by ChurchSalary, the average church increased its staff salaries and benefits more than they expected in 2024. In 2023, churches predicted they would increase personnel budgets by 4.5%, but the average actual increase turned out to be 4.9%. The greatest increase was seen in the cost of benefits.
Read More(REVIEW) Cryptocurrency is a really fascinating topic worth talking about. It’s gratifying to see it being talked about in the context of faith. If the documentary had only trusted the audience more to inform them rather than advertise to them, it would have added something even more valuable to the conversation.
Read MoreSouthern Baptist Disaster Relief units have deployed in and around Houston up into Texarkana in response to Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall early Monday morning, July 8. Units with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), Texans on Mission, Arkansas and Alabama are providing meals, showers and chainsaw work to survivors.
Read MoreAs the effects of climate change become more apparent in Africa and in other parts of the world, eco-anxiety is becoming prevalent. This is true especially in Africa, a continent that is home to a disproportionate share of climate change-related disasters but also has limited resources to deal with them.
Read MoreReligious leaders from across the world meet in Hiroshima, Japan, to sign the “Rome Call for AI Ethics” — emphasizing the vital importance of guiding the development of artificial intelligence with ethical principles that promote peace.
Read MoreNigeria’s population is well over 200 million. The African country’s median age is 18, but 13.8% of its young men and women are without formal education, employment or any form of job training. This has made unemployment a compelling and dire issue requiring concerted efforts from both state and charities.
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