(OPINION) All humanity is royally screwed up. As a result, your family is screwed up. Likely, you are screwed up, too, and your family may have contributed to that screwed-upness. But your ancestry doesn’t have to define your destiny. With God’s help, you can break the cycle of dysfunction, no matter how far back it goes.
Read More(REVIEW) There’s a kind of soothing boredom that settles in throughout the film. Everything about it is mild. The jokes are gentle. The characters’ anger restrained. The sadness subdued. The animation is beautiful, but unremarkable. The voice actors deliver their lines without much intensity. Because the emotional highs and lows are nonexistent, the experience is more like watching a screensaver.
Read More(OPINION) As we prepare this Lenten season, let us walk through whatever wilderness we travel, knowing that Jesus walks with us, sure that he knows the wilderness far better than we, and knowing that, stays by our side.
Read MoreEgg prices typically increase every spring as Easter nears, largely due to demand. However, already-high prices have caused many to forgo eggs altogether this Paschal season. And it isn’t just Christians who are impacted by the high cost. Jews who are preparing to celebrate Passover look to eggs as a special part of their Seder meal. Not this year.
Read MoreLent may be on the calendar, but it’s not something most Americans are observing. A traditional 40-day window of fasting before Easter, Lent is celebrated by around a quarter of U.S. adults, according to a Lifeway Research study. Three in four Americans (74%) say they do not typically observe Lent, while 26% participate.
Read MoreEaster is a holiday rich in religious significance, history and symbolism. At its root, Easter — also known as Resurrection Sunday — is a Christian festival commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus as described in the New Testament. Then where did eggs and bunnies come from?
Read MoreEaster pageants have become an increasingly frequent sight on Good Friday around the world. The idea dates back to the Middle Ages when town guilds performed individual scenes telling the story to mainly illiterate audiences. Although these public events are still performed on an irregular basis, it was over a decade ago that the first contemporary Passion Plays began to be staged in the U.K.
Read MoreVictor Lyons’ work in collecting information for the 2020 Census made it clear to him that Wilcox County reflected the burgeoning Spanish-speaking population of South Georgia. The pastor of First Avenue Baptist Church will officially add another title this Sunday as pastor of Iglesia Vida Abundantè (Abundant Life) Church, which will meet in First Avenue’s sanctuary.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Holy Week and Easter are perhaps the most important days in the Christian calendar. Many associate those celebrations with church services, processions, candles, incense, fasting and penances. However, there is another tradition that many Christians follow — that of tattooing.
Read MoreAcutely aware of the painful history of Christian participation and complicity in antisemitism, and a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents nationally and globally, Christian scholars and clergy are calling for a new level of reflection and accountability for churches, starting from the pulpit.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Despite the often polarized views on religious freedom, its essence remains timeless and profound, particularly for Christians. For believers, religious freedom finds its most profound expression in the image of a God baby born over two millennia ago to a virgin. This freedom is not just about the ability to practice one’s faith openly, but also about the freedom to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ and to navigate the intricate tapestry of His church and the world. It's about recognizing our brokenness.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Lent serves as a profound reminder of the spiritual freedom we have in Christ, mirrored in His death and resurrection. As we journey through this season of contemplation and preparation, we are invited to make space for God in our lives, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. This concept of making space extends beyond personal reflection to encompass broader religious and spiritual freedom.
Read MoreIn an effort to care more for nature over the next six weeks, Christians around the world can improve lives through eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyles emphasizing the transformative nature of Lent. A group based in the U.K. hopes Christians across Britain and around the wold will heed that call this year.
Read MoreNot everyone will be enjoying chocolate this Valentine’s Day. For the first time since 2018, Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day. In fact, this rare occurrence is taking place once again in less than a week. It has happened three times in the last century — 1923, 1934 and 1945 — and will happen again in 2029.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Catholic press operates differently compared to mainstream media. Catholic media, depending where the publication or TV station falls on the doctrinal spectrum, aren’t governed by objectivity but by church teachings. This is where the conflict arises and when culture war battles within the church — and society — manifest themselves.
Read MoreThe season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts about six weeks, culminating with Easter Sunday. It is the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Ahead of the Lenten season, here are five books about this prayerful season that will prepare Christians for Easter.
Read More(OPINION) After the Christmas season and before Lent, Orthodox priests have — for centuries — rushed to visit church members’ homes to bless them with prayers and splashes of holy water flung about with a foot-long brush or handfuls of basil.
Read More(ANALYSIS) While Pope Francis was presiding over a ceremony at the Vatican to consecrate Ukraine and Russia, a group of high-ranking American bishops met in Chicago. The gathering, entitled “Pope Francis, Vatican II and the Way Forward,” aimed to create a dialogue between theologians and bishops.
Read MoreDuring Lent, many Catholic churches participate in fish fries, a meal containing battered or breaded fried fish. Served every Friday following Ash Wednesday, the meals served during the Christian season of repentance have become a mainstay for many Catholic churches who use them to raise money and build community.
Read More(OPINION) Michael Metzger writes about the relationship of Jesus' offering of the living water for purification from sin and redemption in the Lenten season.
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