The Rev. Erickson Mugo knows what it means to be a Christian living with a disability. “We have been called upon by the Lord to always proclaim peace and blessings in our homes and society,” he said. “When we encourage one another … we invest ourselves in doing good. May the Lord enable us to invest ourselves in our homes, villages and societies.”
Read MoreA California artist walks the streets of Los Angeles, drawing portraits of and talking with unhoused people, producing moving art, and life-changing conversations about self-worth, dignity and resilience. Before his first semester at Biola University, Leith, a practicing Christian, prayed, asking whether he should do art or missions. The response was clear.
Read MoreA group of people living in India claims to be Israel’s long-lost tribe of Manasseh. After centuries of displacement, they finally have their chance to migrate back to Israel and eventually claim citizenship status. But it remains unclear if the Jewish state will become the accepting, stable home they’ve always wanted.
Read MoreThere are about 800 kung fu nuns in the Himalayas, from little girls to adult women — and when they aren’t engaging in hand-to-hand combat, you can find them bicycling hundreds of miles across Asia. The order has an estimated 1,000 monastic centers and millions of followers worldwide, but their mission and purpose remains a mystery to many.
Read MoreThe Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota — which has led to confrontations with protesters and two high-profile shooting deaths of U.S. citizens — has dominated national headlines for days and even weeks. Here are key faith angles to follow.
Read More(OPINION) What we are witnessing is not politics or social protest. Not public policy or propaganda. It is virtue made visible. Peace practiced rather than pronounced. Compassion offered without condition or agenda. Perhaps we need to wait and see what fruit this pilgrimage bears. Perhaps God is at work here, walking slowly among us.
Read MoreOn Jan. 22, pastor Carlos Nzolameso received a call from a member of his congregation who was searching for a roommate. Evaristo Kalonji had not shown up to work. Several congregants also reached out to Nzolameso, concerned that Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola, was missing. Nzolameso, who leads Maine’s Rehoboth Christian Church, said Kalonji, is like a son.
Read MoreAllen was a journalist who was a Catholic and an active Catholic who was a real journalist, and he fought to balance that equation in his daily reporting. His death on Jan. 22, after a long battle with cancer, left a strategic hole in Catholic life.
Read More(REVIEW) “Moses the Black” is a gritty, well-crafted independent film exploring faith, violence and redemption through a Chicago gang leader’s encounter with a historical saint. Anchored by strong performances and confident direction, it offers a rare, authentic portrayal of religious experience largely absent from Hollywood and deeply rooted in lived belief.
Read More(ESSAY) Flee the clamor of urban life, and take a drive through this beautiful desert and wilderness area. Meet three faith leaders who found the solitude and peace they were looking for — and who ultimately made this stunning landscape their home. Across New Mexico, religious communities locate themselves in remote areas in order to gain solitude and silence.
Read More(REVIEW) “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” comes out. This film functions less as a fourth sequel to “28 Days Later” and more as a direct one to “28 Years Later,” following the events from that film. In a shift, “The Bone Temple” makes the antagonists Satanists rather than Christians. This reflects a world, very much like ours, where Christianity is no longer atheism’s chief rival.
Read MoreWhen the Pew Research Center asked Mainers what religions they followed, the most common answer wasn’t Catholicism or Evangelical Protestantism. It was “nothing in particular.” But there’s more to the story.
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of the podcast, we sat down with Bobby Ross Jr. to discuss not only the news trends he anticipates in the year to come — but his career of 25 years covering faith through on-the-ground reporting in all 50 states and in 20 different countries.
Read More(ANALYSIS) You’ve seen the headlines about Iran’s uprising, but there is a deeper story: Two-thirds of the nation’s mosques, 50,000 out of 75,000, have been closed due to declining worship attendance, according to a high-ranking cleric. What does that mean for Iran and for Islam?
Read More(ANALYSIS) William James is remembered as the father of American psychology. But for many believers, he holds a different place altogether. He stands as one of the rare modern thinkers who refused to mock faith. He didn’t preach religion, and he certainly didn’t try to dress it up in academic jargon. Instead, he studied it with care, reverence and genuine respect.
Read MoreIn South Africa, a child or woman faces rape or murder every 23 seconds, with perpetrators including pastors and trusted figures. Survivors like Fikile Sondela-Farrow recount lifelong trauma from clerical abuse. Amid several acquittals, thousands have marched, prompting lawmakers to declare gender-based violence a national disaster. Churches are enhancing safeguards.
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“Why not keep busy?” That’s Richard Ostling’s response when asked why he’s still covering religion at age 85 — after six decades on the Godbeat.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Maldives, the small South Asian island nation, recently passed a new law to tighten the noose of the media. But this new law also indirectly strengthens the state’s restriction on religious freedom. Under this law, media outlets will be punished if they publish any content that contradicts Islamic principles or that could be seen as offensive to Islamic sentiments.
Read More“It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking," said Leo.
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