(OPINION) Without a doubt, Charles Spurgeon and later Billy Graham were gospel preachers rather than social justice warriors. Yet, both addressed some of the greatest social evils of their day without for a moment diluting their Jesus-centered messages.
Read More(OPINION) Since the media and the internet are crazy over lists (is this David Letterman’s doing?), how about a well-reported article — not about our American era’s top 10 religious celebrities but which ones exercise the most influence, seen or unseen?
Read More(REVIEW) Well-known Christian filmmaker Jon Erwin and friends have been on a bit of a kick in recent years to showcase the faith of the heroes of their youth. “Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon” is the latest, a documentary that shows how faith impacted the country star’s life. It’s solid, but it fails to serve as the testimony to God it thinks it does.
Read MoreWith each new megachurch leader flashed across national news for financial scandals, abuses and promiscuity, it is easy to become skeptical of evangelicalism entirely. But what causes dynamic pastors to abuse their power? And what can churches do to hold them accountable? On a recent episode of the Biblical Mind podcast hosted by Dr. Dru Johnson and the Center for Hebraic Thought, Katelyn Beaty, author of “Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church” answers these questions. Johnson and Beaty discuss the dangers of American celebrity pastors leading large corporations with unquestioned authority.
Read MoreIn an interview with ReligionUnplugged.com, theoretical physicist and Templeton Prize winner Dr. Frank Wilczek said he was raised in New York City by parents with Italian and Polish backgrounds who wanted him educated in the Catholic tradition: “As a child, I took it very, very seriously and I think it had a residual influence in my later life in helping me to think big and look for the hidden meaning of things.”
Read MoreFor the past century, America’s conservative Christians and politicians were united in the belief that the communist USSR — and later, Russia — was anti-American, anti-God and a threat to the world. But recently, some Christian nonprofits have consistently praised Russia as a global beacon of hope for families and the survival of Christianity.
Read More(OPINION) Interviews are forever the linchpin of all original reporting. The key to getting a good interview: preparation. You've probably heard the preacher's rule of one hour of work in the study per one minute in the pulpit. The reporter’s rule is more modest: at least 10 minutes of research per one minute of interviewing.
Read More(OPINION) In America, the term “evangelical” essentially covers the conservative wing of Protestantism — a varied constellation of denominations, independent congregations, parachurch ministries, media outlets and individual personalities that is organizationally scattered but religiously coherent. But is that really the best definition?
(ANALYSIS) Fans are remembering the legendary Florida State University coach this week after his death Sunday at age 91. Bobby Bowden, who coached senior ReligionUnplugged contributor Hamil Harris and is the second most winningest college football coach in U.S. history, is remembered for fusing the principles of Jesus into his football career, forming a special bond with his players that lasted a lifetime.
Read MoreBilly Graham is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential evangelists of our time. He’s the subject of a new PBS documentary which covers the span of his life. Here are five additional facts they didn’t include.
Read MoreThe National Day of Prayer on May 6 featured more prayer and less politics, aiming for unity, but political division arose in the commentaries afterward. Even the live stream frayed into two competing events. And after critics pointed out President Joe Biden left God’s name out of his proclamation issued from the White House, in his evening address, Biden mentioned God twice.
Read More(OPINION) Luis Palau, called the Billy Graham of Latin America, died March 11 at age 86. Religion Unplugged contributor and board member of The Media Project recalls what it was like working with Palau in Peru and accompanying him on official meetings with government officials and artists.
Read MoreThe second night of the Republican National Convention featured Billy Graham’s granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch, a prisoner turned criminal justice reformer Jon Ponder, Pastor Norma Urrabazo of Las Vegas, former Covington Catholic high school student Nick Sandmann and First Lady Melania Trump.
Read More(OPINION) The term is used interchangeably with President Trump’s religious white voter base, but it steamrolls a varied landscape of perspectives and communities into a monolith. That’s bad journalism.
Read More(OPINION) Billy Graham’s daughter buried her husband in 2015 and then battled breast cancer. Now that things have stabilized, she’s thinking about the evangelical movement’s health and future, and her place in it.
Read More(OPINION) Journalists should consult AP guidelines before using the term fundamentalist. Its meaning is often misunderstood and misused.
Read MoreHistorian Frances Fitzgerald reported on white evangelicals for The New Yorker. Now she’s written a book delving into their place in America’s founding and history, long before President Trump.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Columnist Terry Mattingly shares his picks for 2018’s top religion stories, parting ways with Religion News Association (RNA)’s list.
Read More(COMMENTARY) A leading British Muslim slams Britain’s atheist killjoys for ‘discrimination’ against Muslim children as US charity comes under spotlight.
Read More(COMMENTARY) In the current news theory of everything, few numbers in American political life have received more attention than this one – 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016. Politicos have paid less attention to signs that many evangelicals cast those votes with reluctance, and some with a sense of dread.
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