(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?
Read MorePlease 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.”
Read More(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.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I am back home, writing at my desk in the Southern Highlands after two weeks visiting Scotland, Ireland, Wales and thereabouts. I remain a bit jet-lagged, as is common for folks of my age, but there is work to be done.
Read MoreTexas 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.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Metropolitan Saba Esper, leader of the Antiochian Orthodox archdiocese of North America, was searching for a rare book by Oliver Clement of Paris — the translation of a complex work written in French. While in Wichita two years ago, he went to Eighth Day Books to consult with owner Warren Farha.
Read MoreOn Jan. 18, a cell of anti-ICE demonstrators crashed a Sunday service at the Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota. Debates about the legality of this protest have been defined by the Red vs. Blue divide in American politics, which has dominated the Donald Trump era. On the cultural right, this protest was seen as a violation of the First Amendment religious-liberty rights of the worshippers. On the left, efforts to prosecute the activists were seen as a violation of their First Amendment free-speech rights.
Read MoreIn this week’s episode, we tackle Pope Leo’s first encyclical and what it means for AI, politics and, more importantly, Catholic doctrine.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando will be buzzing when 20,000 Southern Baptists gather for their annual national meeting, rushing between forums, worship, reunions, business sessions and politicking about their elections and resolutions.
Read MoreNo one who has followed trends in the powerful world of podcasting was surprised by the headlines following Alex Cooper’s announcement that, after raising eyebrows by getting married to a stud Hollywood producer, she is now happily pregnant. Consider the following background information from the buzzy New York Times story that served as the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When addressing the 2026 graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, country music star Eric Church used words rarely heard in secular campus rites, such as “faith,” “family,” “grace” and “soul.”
Read MoreThe Big Idea for this podcast? The social-credits system shifted into high gear the year after China, in 2018, launched sweeping new regulations to crush religious activities that lacked formal government approval. Digital technology is at the heart of China’s efforts to control the beliefs of its citizens.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For centuries, stargazers of many kinds have debated the meaning of unidentified objects in the heavens and encounters with mysterious beings on earth. “Each new discovery, even every new theory, is held at first to have the most wide-reaching theological and philosophical consequences.
Read MorePolls and news coverage explaining the voting habits of “evangelicals” are haunted by the same kinds of questions. Define an “evangelical” voter. Please.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There is nothing unusual about turning a corner in West Virginia's maze of rough mountain roads and seeing churches with plain white walls and big porches. The new sanctuary at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross — 10 miles of twists and turns into a holler outside the town of Wayne — offers a variation on that vision. Its green-metal roof has domes resembling medieval Russian helmets, topped with golden cupolas and soaring Slavic crosses.
Read MoreEvery now and then, a current event comes along that waves a red flag at the mainstream media — warning editors and reporters that there is no way around the religious content in this story. What kind of red flag?
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo XIV, during his recent Africa visit, warned Catholics against mixing Christian faith with superstition or other religious practices. He emphasized fidelity to Church teachings amid rapid growth in African churches, while renewed attention to past imagery linked to Pachamama has sparked debate about syncretism and theological clarity.
Read MoreIn 1968, the three Apollo 8 astronauts, while the world focused on their Christmas Eve effort to orbit the moon, read the opening verses of Genesis, beginning with: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) It's important to remember that Catholicism is a “Communion,” not a government. Secrecy and dishonesty are even more destructive in sacred communities.
Read MoreWhile many think “primum non nocere” — “First, do no harm” — was an oath created by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, it’s actually found in a top-secret bible handed to Hollywood players when they are placed in charge of the box-office franchises that keep their operations alive.
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