(ANALYSIS) Recent events in Minnesota have exposed a thin understanding of religious freedom, reducing it to boundary enforcement rather than sustaining institutions that form moral life. The moment calls for deeper discernment: protecting worship without criminalizing dissent.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Saint Peter is one of the most important. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus declares that Peter is the “rock” on which “I will build my church.” Catholic tradition considers him the first pope. Martyred in the first century, Peter asked to be crucified upside down so he would not die the same way as Christ. That story, however, is not in the Bible.
Read MoreIn Ukraine, Christian leaders say the war with Russia since 2022 is a fight for national survival and religious freedom. Citing clergy deaths and widespread casualties, advocates urge global prayer and support, calling Ukraine a vital hub for Gospel witness in Europe and the former Soviet region.
Read MoreYou don’t have to be a person of faith to be visited by or to express a desire to see a hospital chaplain. In fact, a 2022 Gallup survey found that approximately one in four Americans have encountered a chaplain, with half saying that the meeting occurred in a healthcare setting (a bit more than 10 percent of those polled mentioned the military).
Read More(ANALYSIS) Love and hate seem like obvious opposites. Love, whether romantic or otherwise, involves a sense of warmth and affection for others. Hate involves feelings of disdain. Love builds up, whereas hate destroys. However, this description of love and hate treats them as merely emotions.
Read MoreMadhu Pandit Dasa achieved every Indian family’s goal: Obtaining a physics degree from one of the best universities in the nation. But when science couldn’t answer his quest for truth, he found it in Hinduism — and started his career as a spiritual leader. “Within six months, I got frustrated … it was against my nature,” he said.
Read MoreMost U.S. Protestant churchgoers say they value and regularly engage the Bible, but only 31% read it daily. Lifeway Research found that Bible engagement supports spiritual growth and faith retention, yet many believers fall short of consistent Scripture reading despite recognizing its importance.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A Roman basilica’s removal of a cherub resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reveals how quickly sacred art can become political symbolism. The controversy highlighted tensions between church and state, revealing how religious spaces amplify power when contemporary political figures become a part of devotional imagery.
Read MoreA group of people living in India claims to be Israel’s long-lost tribe of Manasseh. After centuries of displacement, they finally have their chance to migrate back to Israel and eventually claim citizenship status. But it remains unclear if the Jewish state will become the accepting, stable home they’ve always wanted.
Read MoreAs Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the focus is fixed on the New England Patriot and Seattle Seahawks. Beyond the game, the Super Bowl is a cultural touchpoint. Watched by millions, it remains the most-viewed event on American TV. While commercials and the halftime show are all big draws, faith once again plays a part in the biggest football game of the year.
Read MoreBorn enslaved, rejected by U.S. seminaries and ordained in Rome, Augustus Tolton became the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in America. His life exposes the Church’s history of racial exclusion while offering a powerful example of perseverance, faith, and legacy — one now recognized in his path toward sainthood.
Read MoreFormer CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested early Friday morning for his role in the Jan. 18 disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.
Read MoreOn Jan. 22, pastor Carlos Nzolameso received a call from a member of his congregation who was searching for a roommate. Evaristo Kalonji had not shown up to work. Several congregants also reached out to Nzolameso, concerned that Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola, was missing. Nzolameso, who leads Maine’s Rehoboth Christian Church, said Kalonji, is like a son.
Read More(ANALYSIS) So, the question remains: “How does Christianity grow?” Now, though, we can say that history gives us a clear answer. It does not grow via the machinery of the Evangelical Industrial Complex, with church growth consultants, big rallies and massive social media platforms. These things are not necessarily bad — they are just irrelevant.
Read MoreFor someone who once appeared on a U.S. black list, Philippa Winkler seems calm, almost proud. Despite the exalted company she keeps, in the eyes of some, this makes her dangerous. The list she ended up on was the notorious S.H.I.T. List (Self-Hating and/or Israel Threatening), maintained by a pro-Israel group.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When protests began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar in December, authorities misjudged them as limited economic unrest. Instead, demonstrations spread nationwide, killing thousands and drawing in ethnic minorities. The uprising exposed deep divides over change, revealing that centralized opposition visions failed to address Iran’s ethnic diversity adequately.
Read MoreHistory nerds rejoice! An incredibly detailed land-use survey and census from the 1500s, commissioned by none other than Henry VIII, will soon be digitally available to everyone, including genealogists, educators, researchers and community groups, thanks to a new $2 million project. The historic records, published under the title “Valor Ecclesiasticus,” or Value of the Church, were the Tudor equivalent of the Domesday Book.
Read MoreIt is a fraught time to lead a Christian congregation. Church leaders are navigating concerns about President Donald Trump’s second term, ongoing ICE raids, difficult conversations following Charlie Kirk’s murder — and also trying to dodge spiritual and occupational burnout along the way.
Read MoreFor many years, Uganda’s churches and affiliated NGOs depended heavily on international financing from the U.S., U.K. and European Union to run feeding programs, support clergy families and build schools and hospitals. Until last year, USAID was a major conduit for American support.
Read MoreThe Dec. 25 attack may have been more a shot across the bow, according to a PBS interview with J. Peter Pham, the U.S. special envoy to the Sahel region during the first Trump administration. The places hit by U.S. military, he said, were not where the genocide against Christians is taking place.
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