(ANALYSIS) There is nothing unusual about turning a corner in West Virginia's maze of rough mountain roads and seeing churches with plain white walls and big porches. The new sanctuary at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross — 10 miles of twists and turns into a holler outside the town of Wayne — offers a variation on that vision. Its green-metal roof has domes resembling medieval Russian helmets, topped with golden cupolas and soaring Slavic crosses.
Read MoreThe Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate is helping the Russian government kidnap, house and falsely indoctrinate Ukrainian children, according to expert testimony before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Read MoreFive years after the pandemic upended life across the United States, a new national study shows that many churches are stabilizing — and in some cases rebounding — even as many challenges persist. In a report by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, which surveyed more than 80 denominations, found that most have either maintained or increased their level of engagement.
Read MoreThey waited patiently with unlit tapers, waiting for their turn as the Holy flame passed from person-to-person, eventually illuminating the whole crowd of more than 18,000. Some participants would take their flames as far away as Greece or Romania, where the faithful were waiting to see their own miracle.
Read MoreWhen Americans call President George Washington the “Father of His Country” it’s an honorary title based on politics and history. When modern citizens of the Republic of Georgia refer to Patriarch Ilia II as the “Godfather of Our Land” they are being quite literal, in terms of the rites and traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith.
Read MoreOn Antarctica’s King George Island, the 22-year-old Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church stands as a striking symbol of faith and craftsmanship. Built in Siberia, shipped across the world and rebuilt near Russia’s Bellingshausen Station, the wooden chapel draws visitors awed by its beauty, resilience and unlikely presence amid ice and penguins.
Read MoreIn Ukraine, Christian leaders say the war with Russia since 2022 is a fight for national survival and religious freedom. Citing clergy deaths and widespread casualties, advocates urge global prayer and support, calling Ukraine a vital hub for Gospel witness in Europe and the former Soviet region.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Former Irish President Mary McAleese argues that infant baptism violates children’s human rights by imposing church membership without consent. Critics respond that parents possess religious freedom in child-rearing, note historical and biblical defenses of infant baptism, and compare similar birth rituals across Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Read MoreJames Tabor opens his book, “Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus,” with a paradoxical statement: “Jesus’s mother, Mary, is the best-known, least-known woman in history.” He argues that she’s been lost through “the thick fog of later tradition and theology” and “systematically erased over the past two millennia.”
Read MoreThis past Dec. 18, on International Migrants Day, participants in an interfaith prayer group gathered at Winton’s statue with Jewish children. In freezing weather and amid the noise of passing trains, the refugees were remembered by the people who had helped them.
Read MoreMicah Waldman ranks each denomination in four categories after attending a Sunday service: Worship, sermon, hospitality and overall environment. He has no desire to change denominations himself — but instead to experience them himself and educate others about the differences in practice.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For the first time since 2022, a giant Christmas tree glows over Bethlehem. Its red, green and yellow lights shimmer above Manger Square, casting warm light on the West Bank city. As thousands flood the area this time of year, the scene looks like a return to normality. The last time Bethlehem held a public Christmas celebration was before the 10/7 attacks.
Read MoreAfter decades of falling religious affiliation and participation, key measures of religiousness in the United States have leveled off in recent years — although no revival has been detected among young people. The findings from the Pew Research Center suggest that a period of relative stability — first observed around 2020 — has continued five years after the pandemic.
Read MoreOn the same day the breakfast concluded, a local news outlet reported that two Armenian opposition podcasters had been placed in pre-trial detention. Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, co-hosts of the “Imnemnimi” podcast, had been arrested over comments made in a Nov. 10 episode about National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.
Read MoreA special ecumenical gathering featuring various Christian traditions opened on Friday — the start of a five-day conference that aims to engage in dialogue that will bring with it broader unity much like the Council of Nicaea did 1,700 years ago.
Read MoreThis landmark five-day gathering — convened under the theme “Where now for visible unity?” — marks a significant moment in the century-long journey of ecumenical dialogue.
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(OPINION) Greek Orthodox churches throughout the United States often host an annual event known as “The Greek Festival.” Depending on the venue, this festival will primarily consist of some of the best homemade food you’ll ever eat, as well as dancing and church tours.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It is entirely accurate to say that Christianity continues to thrive as an international religion, spanning vast regions across the world. But it is also necessary to acknowledge that the global Christian community is not without its travails. And it is increasingly necessary to take a careful look at the “world’s largest religious group,” revealing not only thriving communities across several continents, but also increasing numbers of endangered religious believers who continue to face real threats to their survival.
Read MoreAfter 40-plus years on the Godbeat, let me offer this observation: It’s extremely difficult to write about ancient, complex, often mysterious religious beliefs and doctrines in language that is both accurate and easily understandable in the mainstream media.
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