(ANALYSIS) The U.S. airstrikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria on Christmas Day represents an escalation in an insurgency that their military has struggled to contain for more than a decade. The political and strategic significance is hard to miss: Washington appears willing to take a more direct role in a conflict once treated largely as a regional problem.
Read MoreIn a special year-end edition, Weekend Plug-in counts down the Top 10 most popular Religion Unplugged stories from the past 12 months.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Faith and politics collided as a U.S.-born pope emerged, Donald Trump returned to power, immigration crackdowns intensified across the U.S. and churches faced violence. At the same time, a Muslim mayoral win stirred debate, while antisemitic attacks surged. Here’s a recap of the past 12 months.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s no doubt that faith-based films blew up in 2025. Whether that’s in the faith-based film industry putting out record-breaking theatrical releases of “The Chosen” and other Jesus movies or Hollywood exploring religion with a newfound earnestness in the horror genre or blockbusters, faith was everywhere this year.
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 More“Religion is more than simply attending services; it is in the way we behave towards others,” Youngman said. “Showing religion in action and how it has affected culture, art and life around the world is important. My articles for Religion Unplugged show it at work quietly within the communities across Europe, and those stories can inspire others.”
Read MoreCzechia was once a harbinger of the Protestant Reformation, but now pastors face an uphill battle as the Protestant population drops below 2%.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What are called "hate" laws frequently violate freedom of speech, of the press and of religion. They also tend to be vague and, hence, their scope expands and governments use them to punish views that they simply do not like.
Read MoreThe most-striking element of the London event was knowing that faith remains a big part of some players’ lives: Arsenal players praying together, Crystal Palace’s Bible study groups and the rise of social media accounts like “BallersinGod” suggest a generational shift. Younger players are more willing to publicly integrate belief into their lives.
Read MoreNestled among the calm and modest apartment blocks of the small district of Strašnice in Prague, Czechia, is an equally modest site of worship. From the outside, it looks like just another construction complex decorating the ordinary streets of Strašnice. However, closer inspection reveals that there is something more than meets the eye.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Has there been a noticeable decline in the share of 18–22-year-olds who identify as transgender over the last couple of years? The answer is unequivocal: Yes.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Employees at large retail chains were instructed to avoid “Merry Christmas,” a greeting now deemed too specific and too religious. What emerged was designed to include everyone by addressing no one, to give a greeting that was universal because it had been smoothed of meaning. “Happy Holidays,” once an innocuous phrase, became a symbol in a newly branded American cultural war.
Read More(ANALYSIS) They drank more, slept more and had more than six weeks of celebrations.
Read MoreOregon was the first state to approve physician-assisted suicide in 1997. In addition to Washington D.C. and Illinois, the practice is legal for adults in California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state.
Read MoreIt’s the best of the Godbeat, 2025 version. Many of the nation’s top religion journalists pick their top piece of the year.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a move that underscores the priorities of the Catholic Church in the U.S., Pope Leo XIV replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of New York, appointing Bishop Ronald Hicks to lead the nation’s second-largest diocese. The announcement represents both a generational and ideological shift at the helm of a historically influential U.S. archdiocese.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There are moments in our national life when a legal controversy reveals something deeper than a dispute over statutes or precedent. It exposes a fracture in our shared moral imagination — a failure to recognize what is sacred to communities whose ways of life do not mirror our own. The struggle for Oak Flat in Arizona's Tonto National Forest is one of those moments.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Let us strive to spend more time caring for others in the truest sense and less time feeding the devil’s divisiveness, chastising those we think we disagree with.
Read More(REVIEW) What does it mean when we finds moral clarity from not just punishing criminals, but making it a spectacle? When the most reviled offenders are exposed and humiliated in public view, few feel compelled to object. After all, who would defend a child sex predator? All this is examined in a new must-see Paramount+ documentary.
Read MoreNigerian Christian leaders verified that Christians there are persecuted for their faith, refuting a growing international narrative that violence in the deadliest country for Christians is not religion-based.
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