(ANALYSIS) Many of the ad's photographs are easy to interpret, such as a man removing “GO BACK” graffiti from a home, a woman helping a weeping man in a grocery store, a firefighter hard at work and a young football player comforting a defeated opponent. But the John 3:16 hat raised the theological stakes in the pride photograph.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Easily the biggest religious controversy at this year’s Academy Awards is with the movie “Conclave.” The film, based on the best-selling novel by Robert Harris and starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, follows a cardinal named Lawrence who’s been tasked with running the selection of a new pope. But Lawrence’s faith is challenged when he uncovers secrets at the Vatican.
Read More(REVIEW) More progressive critics have said Hays doesn’t go far enough. Perhaps it’s not so much that God’s mind has changed on homosexuality or slavery, but God was always pro-LGBTQ and against slavery. The early Christians weren’t ready for the concept of individual human rights. Instead, one could say God was so merciful and patient, he allowed the human church to catch up with God’s gracious understanding of such issues.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With the transgender policies among President Trump’s blizzard of new executive orders, further explanation is needed on the cultural reality of deep-seated religious concepts. In particular, the resolutely “binary” Bible depicts humans as either male or female and underlies 2,000 years of Jewish and Christian teaching. Similarly with the Quran and Muslims. How should that heritage affect secular society and policy?
Read MorePresident Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports, directing agencies to withdraw federal funding for any schools that refused to comply. The step, taken on National Girls & Women in Sports Day, is one of several by the new president regarding gender.
Read MoreNot yet, and not quite, even as President Trump’s agenda instead puts the news spotlight on transgender issues. Though the Supreme Court’s historic 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision to legalize gay and lesbian marriage nationwide was by a narrow 5 to 4, the law appears very unlikely to change. And yet dissent continues and U.S. public opinion is shifting a bit.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a 14-year time period, support for same-sex marriage went from 31% to 68%. That’s just a stunning shift in such a short period of time. And because of the velocity of the change, we cannot attribute that to generational replacement.
Read MoreEpiscopalians own the cathedral of D.C. culture Thus, journalists embedded in Beltway life applauded Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.
Read More(OPINION) Some of historian Tom Holland’s insights are surprising, including his contention that modern developments — including the transgender rights movement and a recent spike in atheism — probably wouldn’t exist were it not for the West’s Christian philosophical and moral foundations.
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump is returning to the White House, convinced — after a close encounter with an assassin's bullet — that he had God on his side in the election. While opinions differed on that theological question, Trump drew support from voters that frequented pews. Members of Religion News Association selected the presidential election as the year's top national religion story.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In the 2024 presidential election campaign there were hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertising to convince voters to back either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. But there was one spot that ran on television in a seeming loop.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I was recently talking to a Christian who was a strong believer in the separation of church and state. We discussed some implications of that doctrinal position, and he described how it shaped his views on same-sex marriage. That got me wondering: Are there many people out there who favor same-sex marriage but believe that homosexuality is wrong?
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Justice Department is in a legal fight against Tennessee and, by extension, all 26 states with laws that forbid or restrict “gender-affirming” transition treatments for youths under the age of 18. Observers of the recent U.S. Supreme Court arguments in this United States v. Skrmetti case figure the Court will favor federalism, allowing states leeway for such limitations.
Read More(OPINION) On a certain level, things just got a lot more simple. That’s because it will become increasingly difficult for the church to look to Trump to lead the way on key moral and cultural issues. To be sure, he has chosen his battles carefully, highlighting the destructive extremes of radical transgender activism while distancing himself from Project 2025.
Read MoreWhat intrigued Ma was that they weren’t trying to get people to agree with each other, but to respect each other, which is one of our nation’s biggest issues, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election. Initially, the filmmakers suggested assembling a group of multiple faith leaders from all over the country, but it was eventually changed so that all the participants lived in the same city.
Read MoreBattered by months of criticisms for controversial staff guidance on how to handle LGBTQ+ students, a major evangelical campus ministry is distancing itself from a controversial curriculum. Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) will be removing its “Compassionate and Faithful” curriculum by the end of the year, according to reporting by WORLD.
Read MoreOverwhelmingly, Americans think the moral values of the country are worsening. Around four in five U.S. adults (81 percent) say the state of moral values is getting worse, and only 14 percent say it’s getting better. That gives the future outlook a minus 67 score — down 24 points from 2002.
Read More(OPINION) Another presidential election is drawing nearer. This time around, the Democratic Party has put forward an even more radical pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ+ activism candidate. In fact, Planned Parenthood is offering free vasectomies and abortions during the DNC in Chicago this week. Talk about sending a message.
Read MoreLet’s say that you know a teacher at a Catholic school that, when accepting this job, this person signed a contract in which he agreed to defend the doctrines detailed in the Catholic Catechism or, at the very least, not to oppose them in public. After several years of work, this teacher decided that gender is a social construct and that she was a woman trapped in a man’s body and began to transition into life as a woman. The school then declined to renew the teacher’s contract. Was that teacher canceled?
Read More(ANALYSIS) These debates raged on and on because few combatants could agree on what took place, in part because that scene in the opening ceremonies were quickly removed from the official Olympics YouTube and NBC Universal accounts.
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