The Russian Orthodox Church has expanded with striking speed. It is more than just a turf battle over the hearts and minds of local Orthodox priests and laypeople. To some observers, it’s part of a growing, concerning trend of Russia deepening geopolitical ties throughout Africa, and leveraging soft power to remake the continent in its own image.
Read More(ANALYSIS) From polluted rivers to disappearing forests, the modern world bears the scars of human greed. Christians cannot simply point fingers at secular culture or blame industrialization while ignoring our own failures. If we believe the world is God's creation, then neglecting it goes beyond environmental policies.
Read MoreFor Charli Turner and Julie Montgomery, the idea of starting a school that could serve as a Christian mission started years ago. “We had this funny vision that we were going to take in all the lost, hurting kids,” Turner said. Finally, they’re realizing their dream in rural North Idaho.
Read MoreThe political time machine has now landed in similar journalism terrain. During this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, we discussed several important news reports, including this Religion News Service feature: “‘They’re not real pastors’: As clergy run as Democrats, Republicans question their faith.”
Read MorePope Leo, who spent two decades serving the Catholic church in Latin America, is expected to visit the diocese he led before his election in Chiclayo, a city in northwest Peru. Other stops on the 11-day trip include several cities in Uruguay and Argentina, with a full itinerary to be announced closer to the trip.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In her student days, Ann Widdecombe's first Oxford Union presentation was an attack on censorship, even if practicing free speech turned out to be risky or painful. A half-century later, the former Conservative MP and outspoken Catholic returned to the legendary debate club to address the same subject, at one point explaining why she once agreed to share a speaker's platform with an Irish Republican Army activist.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Disestablishment was not just a cornerstone of American democracy. It was also an engine for the extraordinary growth of philanthropy, which played an important role in fueling American churches’ growth and innovation.
Read MoreIn a country with a deep history of ritual and respect for the dead, it is becoming increasingly impossible for everyday families to properly bury their loved ones. The wealthy are able to purchase premium amenities, while working class residents are unable to afford basic services at all. “Where am I supposed to take the body?” one man asked.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Kashmir remains one of the world’s most contentious geopolitical flash points. What is overlooked in this coverage is Kashmir’s immense artistic, intellectual and spiritual heritage, one shaped by centuries of interreligious and intercultural exchange.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Every year, millions of pilgrims walk from the deserts of southern Iraq to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world. In 2026, pilgrims will converge on Karbala on Aug. 5.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Fewer marriages, fewer believing mothers and fewer traditions carried forward add up to a generation raised inside a custom-built crisis of meaning. America needs religious men. To endure and thrive as a civilization, it may need religious women even more. The reasons aren’t mysterious.
Read More(Review) Pagans and Christians alike long for an Orpheus who can sing a song that brings Hades and Persephone back together and rescue Eurydice from the underworld. But Christians know that song already exists. And if we want our lives and world restored, we don’t have to look to a “sad song” or a fantasy future — but to the happy song of a real past and present.
Read More(REVIEW) Are humans really all that different than primates? Harvard primatologist Christine Webb blends science, philosophy and legal developments to challenge humanity’s presumed supremacy over nature. Drawing on evolution, animal cognition research and Indigenous worldviews, she argues that consciousness extends beyond humans.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Back in November, I wrote a post that I knew was going to cause a stir because it answered one of the most burning questions in my mind: “How Big is the Political Divide Between Mainline Clergy and Laity?”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Instead of just focusing on a single question and making a bunch of graphs that try to figure out that causal puzzle, I am going to share a few things that I’ve learned after doing this kind of work for the last 10 years.
Read MoreThe bottom line: If reporters are going to cover moral and religious issues in a state like Utah, at some point they need to talk to experts on the religious element that, for many people, remain at the heart of these questions.
Read MoreCathedrals are now increasingly seen as multi-dimensional organizations: Community hubs, centers of civic life, cultural venues and as a center of spiritual life. Their role has become far wider than any church building. In 2025, approximately 10 million people entered English cathedrals — far in excess of the numbers visiting sporting events like Wembley Stadium.
Read MoreMore than a century after a mysterious Bible was reportedly discovered among a crop of yams in a rain-soaked Nigerian field, testimonies of miraculous births, healings and deliverance continue to draw thousands of pilgrims to the sacred ground. The Araya Bible Site is especially popular during the Christmas and Easter season.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What began as an exercise movement of primarily older adults in China’s northeast has proved to provide the largest, best-organized and most-sustained resistance to Chinese government rule since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Read MoreChristopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” was made for a religious landscape that looks very different from Homer’s original audience. Does the movie manage to honor the beliefs of the source material — or does it impose modern values on the ancient epic?
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