Posts in Religion News
🏈 ‘God, Why Me?’: Deion Sanders Never Asked That While Battling Cancer 🔌

Deion Sanders can’t — or won’t — stop talking about the Lord. Especially now. This week, Colorado’s head football coach mentioned God and faith at least three dozen times during a 40-minute news conference to discuss his private battle with bladder cancer.

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📺 ‘Like Losing A Friend’: Why Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Death Hit Gen Xers So Hard 🔌

Oh 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.

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Welcome Back, Carter: Faith Helps Texas Rangers’ ‘Little Savior’ Overcome Setbacks

Evan Carter helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023. But Carter — still just 22 — has faced multiple challenges over the past two seasons. He talked to Religion Unplugged about his journey as a ballplayer and, more importantly, as a person of deep Christian faith. “Baseball is what I do, but I try and not make it, as the cliché goes, who I am,” he said.

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⛪️ Conviction And Controversy: Pastor John MacArthur’s Legacy 🔌

When 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.

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⛈️ Grief And Guilt: Parents Who’ve Lost Children Reflect On Texas Flooding Deaths 🔌

The 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.

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Crossroads Podcast: Tragedy, Faith And The Texas Floods

What do Texans want to find if they have the financial ability and the time to get away from that searing reality? To be blunt, they are looking for water, breezes, dry air and, yes, altitude. This brings us to the tragic headlines at the heart of this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

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💙 Hoops and Healing: Why The Thunder’s First NBA Title Means So Much To OKC 🔌

Why did the Oklahoma City Thunder winning the NBA title mean so much to our Weekend Plug-in columnist — just a casual fan? It’s simple: This is about much more than basketball, y’all.

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🏟️ NBA Finals Prayers, Pope Rally At The Ballpark And NFL Coach’s Faith 🔌

The Oklahoma City Thunder are still praying. Presumably, so are the Indiana Pacers. Plus, a big rally for Pope XIV at the Chicago White Sox ballpark, and an NFL head coach says God guides him.

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💒 5 Takeaways From Dallas: SBC Seeks Same-Sex Marriage Reversal And More 🔌

At its annual meeting in the Dallas, the nation’s largest Protestant nomination tackled social issues such as same-sex marriage, online porn and sports betting.

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🏀 OKC Thunder In A League Of Their Own — When It Comes To Pregame Prayer 🔌

Just one of the NBA’s 30 franchises tips off each game with an invocation: the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s a tradition that dates back to the Seattle SuperSonics’ move to OKC in 2008 — and even before that when the Bible Belt city served as the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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⚾️ ‘New Pope, New Me’: Devout Catholic Baseball Star Finds His Hitting Groove 🔌

Texas Rangers slugger Jake Burger’s return to form coincided with the election of a fellow Midwesterner as the first U.S.-born pope. Faith is ingrained in the devout Catholic athlete and his family.

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A Pitch To Follow Jesus: Baseball Fans Embrace Players’ Faith Testimonials

On a recent 78-degree Saturday afternoon, a U.S. flag and the Detroit Tigers’ four World Series championship banners — from 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984 — flapped in the Comerica Park breeze. For nearly four decades, Home Plate Detroit has brought fans together to pray and hear player testimonials. In the Motor City and elsewhere, these events mix a faith-based message with a major league game.

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🎸 Top 10 Faith-Infused Country Songs: The ACM’s All-Time Best Honorees 🔌

Sure, drinking and cheating songs characterize a whole lot of the country music genre, known for its roots in working-class, blue-collar American life. But faith, too, infuses many Nashville hits, as illustrated by the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

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⛪️ ‘The Pope Is Dead!’: News Outlets Prepared In Advance To Cover Francis’ Passing 🔌

When the leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics passes, it’s always banner-headline news. 

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This Just In: Traditional Religion In The US Now ‘Obsolete’

(ANALYSIS) “Americans have lost faith in traditional religion,” announces the sweeping first sentence of a contentious book published during Holy Week: “Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America.”

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📝 ‘We Will Never Forget’: How Covering The Biggest Story Of My Life Changed Me 🔌

On the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, our columnist reflects on how covering the biggest story of his life changed him.

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On Religion: What Counts As An ‘Easter Movie’ On American TV?

(ANALYSIS) For more than 50 years ABC — with very few exceptions — has offered “The Ten Commandments” as the network's featured film for Holy Week. In fact, nothing says “Easter” like a showdown between Moses, the 13th century BCE Hebrew prophet, and the pharaoh Ramses the Great and the gods of Egypt.

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Jesus Christ Box Office Superstar: Why Faith-Based Films Are Dominating

(ANALYSIS) People might disagree whether Jesus is King, but he certainly is ruling the box office this Easter season. America loves movies and it loves Jesus. As a result, it’s s safe to say both will be with us for a very long time. You might say it’s Jesus’ world, we’re just living in it. That’s true to Christians at all times. But for now it’s also true when it comes to dominating the U.S. box office. 

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