Orthodox Christians in North America and around the world already are venerating the Alaskan matriarch for her care and concern for abused women.
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While less than 1% of Americans identify as Orthodox Christians, 5% of Alaskans identified as Orthodox in 2014, according to Pew Research. And while the number of regular attendees at Eastern Orthodox churches in the U.S. has declined 14% from 2010 to 2020, the number of parishes grew 3% over the same decade, according to the latest data in the 2020 Census of Orthodox Christian Churches.
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Orthodox churches around the world are all preparing for Easter, a celebration of Christ defeating death, by reflecting on Judgment Day. Despite this relative unity in worship, the Orthodox schism between Moscow and Constantinople that broke open in 2019 is cracking further. What is good and what is evil in the war in Ukraine is far from agreed upon.
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Afghans in and outside the capital describe scenes of violence, deteriorating living conditions and shrinking personal freedoms amid the Taliban’s rise to power with the U.S. troop withdrawal set to complete on Aug. 31.
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(REVIEW) Netflix’s latest reality series about a highly successful businesswoman who left a strict Orthodox Jewish community is hilarious at times and binge-worthy but adds to the narrative that religion is oppressive. Meanwhile, Orthodox Judaism is attracting more young people in the U.S. than previous generations despite religion’s overall decline.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in features a fact check on an important religion angle related to Haiti’s presidential assassination. Plus, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc. and its publishing groups Zondervan and Thomas Nelson will not publish or manufacture the “God Bless the USA” Bible after a petition launched in response to Religion Unplugged’s reporting earlier this month. The Bible would have melded the New International Version Bible text with the U.S. founding documents and Pledge of Allegiance. Its Tennessee-based seller plans to print the Bible with a public domain translation instead.
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The “God Bless the USA” Bible includes America’s founding documents in its last pages and lyrics to the popular song “God Bless the USA” that became the chorus of Trump rallies. It will ship to customers this September to mark 20 years after 9/11.
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He’s an evangelist, a DJ, a radio host, a newspaper publisher, a gun violence mediator, an immigration law facilitator and much more. An immigrant from Jamaica, Rev. Terry Lee is a hustling, innovative, inner city preacher, the kind of unsung ministerial hero who works tirelessly and like a renaissance man to advance the common good inside and outside his community. And this weekend, he’s going to the White House.
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The debate over whether the Equality Act would simply extend needed protections to LGBTQ Americans or also discriminate against women, girls and public-facing religious organizations has divided even faith leaders, pitting LGBTQ rights against religious freedom.
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In New York, a young man and bishop Kim Lubrin jumped off a roof. He had progressed up the ranks of the secretive, close-knit Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ (ICGJC) in Harlem, which has a history of financially and emotionally pressuring and ousting members for alleged transgressions. Days before his death, Lubrin had told his father he had sinned and feared how the church would punish him.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in delves into questions surrounding Christian financial guru Dave Ramsey’s multimillion-dollar Tennessee company and its sarcastic response to a religion reporter’s questions. Plus, catch up on all the faith-related angle from inauguration of President Joe Biden.
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Hillsong Church’s New York pastor Carl Lentz was removed on Wednesday due to “moral failures,” the church leadership said. Then Lentz shared more details.
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After touring the country for months holding worship events, charismatic Christian worship leader Sean Feucht is hosting prayer and revival events in Washington, D.C. this weekend that are expected to draw 15,000 people. Many charismatic groups believe this year of hardships is creating an opportunity for ministry, to bring healing and peace, and are rallying against what they see as unfair restrictions during the pandemic.
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As greater numbers of Muslims in the West seek Islamic communities outside local mosques, the new website Imam Connect aims to connect the so-called “unmosqued” to Islamic services they want, from match making to art lessons, counseling and funeral and wedding rituals.
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Prominent evangelicals Francis Chan, John MacArthur, Sam Rodriguez, Andy Stanley and religious freedom experts weighed in on how churches should navigate changing COVID-19 guidelines that some say unfairly target houses of worship.
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After Jerry Falwell Jr’s resignation this week, Liberty University alums say removing the university’s president is only a partial victory and that the board must allow independent investigators to reform the largest evangelical university in the U.S. Religion Unplugged’s sources also indicate that another major revelation is expected to come from Liberty this week.
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Liberty University accepted Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation from his leadership roles at the university after reports that he participated in his wife’s affair with a pool boy turned business partner and family friend. From a family of preachers, Falwell became known in recent years for his outspoken endorsement of President Trump and a series of financial and sexual scandals. Here’s the background.
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Jerry Falwell Jr. is taking an indefinite leave of absence from his role as president and chancellor of Liberty University after he posted and then deleted a photo on Instagram of himself with unzipped pants at a yacht party last weekend.
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Dr. Syra Madad, the senior director for the System Wide Special Pathogens Program for New York City Health and Hospitals, has been on the front line preparing for pandemics before the novel coronavirus hit. Now she's a leader in the response to COVID-19 in New York. Religion Unplugged sat down on Zoom with Dr. Madad to talk about the role her Muslim faith and religion overall plays in her medical mission to fight the spread of disease.
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