(OPINION) Being an agnostic isn’t a bad thing. It’s almost unavoidable if you’re thinking seriously. There are just too many unknowns.
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The Texas Rangers’ recent “Faith and Family Day” was not the team’s first. But for multiple reasons, the latest one became a culture war flashpoint — stirring debate across the country and on social media, sparking comments by everyone from the governor of Texas to the Catholic bishop of Fort Worth. June is dedicated to LGBTQ Pride, and other sports teams often set aside a night to celebrate.
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(REVIEW) “Just One More” has its heart in the right place. But it is held back by a preachy Christian filmmaking culture that leans on telling, not showing.
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(ANALYSIS) Clashing rainbow symbols recently created a storm in Major League Baseball when powers wielded by team owners clashed with the religious beliefs of players. The big question: Can the biblical rainbow coexist on the same Pride Night baseball cap with the today’s rainbow celebrating LGBTQ+ rights?
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(ANALYSIS) The Kane Parsons film “Backrooms” has captivated audiences since it hit theaters in May. The movie — a horror film about liminal spaces based on internet mythology — also taps into a series of religious ideas that have existed for centuries, particularly concepts such as purgatory, limbo and salvation.
Read MoreAfter decades of silence, Spain and the Catholic Church have agreed on a compensation deal for victims of clergy sexual abuse. For survivors, it is a long-awaited recognition—but also a reminder that justice remains incomplete.
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(OPINION) In their legitimate efforts to oppose tyranny, many Iranian Christians are dangerously mixing politics, nationalism and their Christian faith. Christian leaders present Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as the best, or even the divinely appointed, option for Iran’s transition and churches are displaying the Iranian flag during worship services.
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(ANALYSIS) Whether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June 24 celebrating Midsummer. Congregating around bonfires, or sometimes maypoles, sporting handwoven wreaths of wildflowers or oak leaves, they’ll sing, jump, dance, eat, drink, catch up and celebrate the arrival of the longest day of the year.
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The Iran war has triggered several instances of unity among Sunnis and Shiites — two major Muslim groups that have historically been at odds. Young people lead the displays of solidarity, finding a common cause in the wake of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination.
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Please rise, for the hymn of the day: “Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out, At the old ball game.”
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(ANALYSIS) Actor Chris Pratt says his faith has guided him through personal struggles, Hollywood pressures and family life. Reflecting on fame, success and public scrutiny, Pratt also argues that lasting joy comes from God — not wealth, power, celebrity or cultural influence.
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The multicultural excitement around soccer’s World Cup feels palpable in host cities across the nation and a recent survey shows that most Americans want the U.S. to be multicultural. But the celebrations at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey stand in stark contrast with the alleged inhumane conditions at the ICE facility just a few miles away.
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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, half of Protestant pastors say their churches should mark the occasion with special celebrations, according to Lifeway Research. While support for patriotic elements in worship continues to decline, most churches still recognize veterans, military families, or America’s heritage around Independence Day.
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(ESSAY) As an anthropologist who studies social bonding during times of crisis, I now understand how cultural religious traditions — even when they seem different — can create unexpected connections. Many years after my military service, during the final days of my father’s life, my large family kept vigil beside him. Sitting with my siblings, mother and dozens of nieces and nephews, I told them this story.
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(ANALYSIS) Democrats hope Texas state legislator and Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico can win a U.S. Senate seat by appealing to religious voters. Republicans are highlighting his progressive positions on gender, sexuality, abortion, and church-state issues as evidence he is out of step with Texas conservatives.
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A new Pew Research Center study found religious hostilities increased sharply around the world in 2023, driven by harassment of religious minorities and fallout from the Israel-Hamas war. Government restrictions on religion remained near record highs, an issue affecting billions of people across dozens of countries.
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(ANALYSIS) The amount of cynicism in the world is sometimes hard for my mind to grasp. I really struggle watching TV shows and movies that have a really bleak view of the world. I don’t want to watch ”The Golden Girls” all the time (although it is a really great thing to put on the TV right before bed), but I just can’t spend a lot of my time meditating on the evilness of the human experience over and over again. I think it’s bad for my soul, to be honest.
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Texas Senate candidate James Talarico's theological views are drawing attention as he campaigns while preparing for Presbyterian ordination. Questions about the resurrection, abortion, sexuality, gender identity and denominational controversies could test whether his blend of progressive politics and Christianity resonates with voters.
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(ANALYSIS) Ten years after “Hillbilly Elegy” catapulted its author into public view, JD Vance is publishing a new memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.” The vice president explains the book as a sort of self-help guide for the spiritually lost: “… by sharing my journey I might be helpful to others — Catholic, Protestant, or otherwise — who are seeking reconciliation with God.”
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(ANALYSIS) This World Cup held in the United States, Canada and Mexico — with its unprecedented global outreach — offers a unique opportunity to observe the values, beliefs and relationships that soccer players choose to display on their bodies. In some ways, tattoos can be seen as a small window into the players’ souls.
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