(ANALYSIS) For some Jewish college students, the Trump administration’s approach to campus antisemitism came as a relief after two years of what they perceived as weak action by universities and the federal government. Fewer are cheering after the White House signed a $221 million settlement with Columbia University.
Read MoreOh no, not Theo. That was the first thought of millions of Generation Xers when the news broke this week of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s accidental drowning death in Costa Rica at age 54. Here’s why “The Cosby Show” actor was so influential and beloved.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The more people are inundated by joking memes about people being beaten and handcuffed by U.S. government forces, the less startling they are. And the easier it is to believe that, perhaps, this is the way things have been since the beginning — just as God made them.
Read MoreA federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday partially granting Planned Parenthood’s request to prevent enforcement of the defund measure included in the recent budget reconciliation bill approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When Zohran Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City, political observers noted his progressive platform and legislative record. But understanding the Democratic candidate’s background requires examining the rich cultural tapestry woven into his very surname: Mamdani.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Things are moving in another direction, no doubt. Some people embrace that change and look forward to a more diverse America, while others pine for a country that they think existed five or six decades ago. But what portion is in each camp?
Read More(ANALYSIS) Britain has named India among 10 countries it will closely monitor for violations of religious freedom as part of a new foreign policy strategy. The move links the United Kingdom’s international relations more directly with the defence of freedom of religion or belief.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Strolling through the streets of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, one easily gets the impression of walking through multiple cities at once.
Read More(REVIEW) Stories help us sift through random events of our lives into something coherent. COVID was a seminal time in American life, and it’s more than right that we should tell stories about it. But without something coherent to say, those stories stop being useful ways to interpret the noise, and instead just add to it.
Read MoreIt’s a question church-state experts have asked for decades: Is it legal for a minister, from a sanctuary pulpit on Sunday, to endorse a political candidate?
Read MoreWhen a high-profile religious leader dies, it’s always fascinating to see what words various news organizations choose to encapsulate that person. Such is the case with this week’s passing of the Rev. John MacArthur — after his hospitalization for pneumonia — at age 86.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Operation Kalanemi comes dangerously close to the kind of state control over religion seen in countries like China and Vietnam, where the state tightly controls religious activity by licensing clergy, approving sermons and monitoring places of worship, allowing only state-recognized versions of religion to function. Without clear laws, fair process and respect for constitutional limits, this drive in Uttarakhand risks turning the police into arbiters of faith — something a secular democracy cannot allow.
Read MoreSupreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retired in 2018, but religious-liberty activists still want to know where he hoped to draw a bright line between religious freedom and the sexual revolution. Kennedy knew that the First Amendment's declaration that government “shall make no law ... prohibiting the free exercise of religion” was creating warfare in modern American law and politics. But he didn't know how to end the strife.
Read MoreIran is increasingly persecuting Christians under its ceasefire with Israel, arresting at least 21 believers, raiding house churches and promoting incendiary propaganda, according to religious freedom advocate Article 18.
Read MoreOn India’s busy streets, vehicles adorned with Hindu symbols are more than just modes of transport — they have increasingly become mobile expressions of political and religious identity. The proliferation of these Hindu stickers has transformed everyday commuting, a phenomenon deeply intertwined with rising religious tensions.
Read More(ANALYSIS) One hundred years ago this month, Americans were transfixed as a Tennessee courtroom hosted challenge to the state’s new law barring “the teaching of the Evolution Theory” in public schools, including colleges. The prohibition covered “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A 1954 law barring churches and pastors from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office will no longer be enforced, the Internal Revenue Service said.
Read MoreThe grief. The guilt. The giant fog. Matt Collins can’t help but experience the catastrophic Texas flooding — especially the deaths of children in a sudden natural disaster — through a deeply personal lens.
Read MoreBaylor University’s president announced in a letter Wednesday (July 9) that the school has rescinded a grant toward the study of “disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women” in churches. The move came after Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work announced on June 30 that it had received a grant of nearly $644,000 toward its Center for Church and Community Impact, also called C3I.
Read MoreA recent concert for peace in Gaza brought together Jews and Palestinians at a Catholic church in Santiago. Some 500 people attended the concert for cello, flute and classical guitar, with two female voices, organized by the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Fernando Chomalí. The archbishop, who organized the event, is a descendant of Palestinian immigrants.
Read More
