After Landing On The Moon, Should We Go To Mars?

The only humans yet to set foot on the Moon are American astronauts in the series of six Apollo landings that ended 53 years ago. But last January, President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Address proclaimed a far more extraordinary goal: “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars. . . . Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.”

Crossroads Podcast: Sainthood And The Struggle To Translate Faith

After 40-plus years on the Godbeat, let me offer this observation: It’s extremely difficult to write about ancient, complex, often mysterious religious beliefs and doctrines in language that is both accurate and easily understandable in the mainstream media.

The Enduring Value — And Vanishing Presence — Of America’s Newspapers

(ANALYSIS) Despite some major differences, newspapers and religion share notable similarities in their societal roles, including defining norms, creating a sense of a shared community, while maintaining rituals. These parallels are often rooted in the human need to make sense of a complex world. Over the years, Hollywood has immortalized their importance with a series of movies.

Not Just Another ‘Murderbot’: How A Screen-Obsessed SecUnit Found Its Moral Core

(ANALYSIS) “Murderbot” has options, but only a few. Kill all the stupid humans and flee, which likely means another SecUnit would stop him and then the company would melt him down as scrap. Or play along, pretending to do the job you’ve always done but hope no one notices when you’re not all there because — you’re bingeing thousands of hours of “content” — human/bot/AI entertainment.

Carlo Acutis Canonized: A New Saint And ‘Influencer’ For The Modern Church

(ANALYSIS) History was made on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis — the 15-year-old tech prodigy known as “God’s Influencer” — the first Millennial saint. Before 80,000 pilgrims, many of them young families and digital natives, this wasn’t just a canonization. It was a prophetic moment for the Catholic Church as it grapples with its place in the 21st century.

Catholic Social Teaching Reminds Us Work And Human Dignity Are Connected

(ANALYSIS) As summer winds down and Americans gather with family and friends for barbecues and beach trips, the first Monday of September offers more than just a long weekend. Labor Day, often treated as the unofficial end of summer, has deeper roots. It’s a holiday born out of struggle — of marches, strikes and a nationwide push to recognize the dignity of workers.

Email Phishing Scams Increasingly Target Churches

The rector of the 160-plus member Good Shepherd Anglican Church near Charlotte, N.C., recently sent an urgent warning to parishioners about an email claiming to be from him. The email requested donations in the form of gift cards — a known tactic used for phishing scams in which criminals deceive victims into revealing sensitive information.

Online Blasphemy Scams Destroying Lives In Pakistan

Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are a set of legislative provisions that forbid statements or actions that are considered offensive to Islam or its sacred figures. These rules inflict severe punishments, including life imprisonment and the death penalty under Section 295-C for defaming the Prophet Muhammad. These laws were expanded during General Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization of the country.

Dealing With Harsh Realities Of Life: Being Thoughtful With Christian Ethics

(REVIEW) The book presents a Christian framework for everyday life that may resonate with readers of various faiths. However, the writing quality is uneven; while some chapters are accessible, others use complex language that may be challenging for some readers. Despite its limitations, this collection is worth reading in an age marked by AI, anxiety and burnout.

On Religion: Vatican Gathers Global Creators To Rethink Online Evangelism

(ANALYSIS) With a nod to digital life, Merriam-Webster has expanded its “influencer” definition to include a “person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.” Pope Leo XIV didn't use that term in his latest remarks on faith in the internet age, even while addressing the recent Vatican Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Influencers.

Pope Leo XIV Urges Youth Toward Real Relationships In A Digital Age

(ANALYSIS) In a summer when world leaders debate regulation of artificial intelligence and digital platforms scramble to retain user trust, Pope Leo XIV is offering a different vision — rooted not in control but in communion, not in efficiency but in encounter. Over a million young people under the Roman twilight, that invitation resonated — not as nostalgia, but as a hopeful step into the future.

Solar-Powered Audio Bibles Bring Hope To Mozambique

In the heart of Mozambique, a quiet transformation is taking place — powered not by electricity, but by sunlight and faith. Missionaries Rolland and Heidi Baker, for nearly three decades, have been working among some of the most marginalized communities in the country through their organization Iris Global.

Making AI Dead Facsimiles Raises Ethical Quandaries

The use of artificial intelligence to “reanimate” the dead for a variety of purposes is quickly gaining traction. Over the past few years, we’ve been studying the moral implications of AI at the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and we find these AI reanimations to be morally problematic.

US Churchgoers Report Deeper Faith Amid Growing Communities

After a half-decade marked by upheaval, many Christian communities across the United States are showing signs not only of recovery but of renewed vitality, a new study released on Monday revealed. The report looks at a large and diverse sample of American churchgoers say their faith is stronger, their churches more vibrant and their involvement more consistent than at any point.

Streaming Killed Attention Spans And Community: Is Faith Next?

(ANALYSIS) Across America, a growing number of people of all ages are communing with the Holy Spirit via their smartphones and laptops. Once the stuff of pews and pulpits, faith now flows through fiber optics. It’s convenient, sure. No parking, no crowds, no early wake-ups. But is it really church? The answer appears to be no — a resounding no.

Crossroads Podcast: Screens, Sanity And Spiritual Silence In Our Kids

The bottom line: At some point, parents in traditional forms of faith are going to have to teach their children — the younger the better — that their their home is different from those in which many of their friends are being raised. That can be tough sledding, but these hard topics Will. Not. Go. Away.

Crossroads Podcast: Is Pope Leo XIV Worried About AI — or something deeper?

Super-intelligent computers that go bad isn’t a new concept, as fans of the “Terminator” franchise know all to well. However, when I think about digital evil, I remember the haunting voice of the HAL 9000 supercomputer in 1968 sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Think about this: That was a voice that Sir Anthony Hopkins heard in his head as he prepared to play the brilliant serial killer Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

What My Screen Time Exposed About Our Spiritual Crisis

(ANALYSIS) I am not saying all media technologies, companies or content are necessarily tools of Satan. I am saying their overwhelming domination of our attention distracts us from deeper work – on our families, our communities and ourselves and this spiritual adversary can use those distractions for his own, deceptive purposes.

New Federal Law Criminalizes Deepfake And Nonconsensual Porn

Publishing or distributing sexually explicit material of a person without their consent is now a federal crime, and social media platforms and other websites must remove such images within 48 hours of notification.

Dalit Christians Using Social Media To Challenge Caste Oppression

In India, caste oppression is a persistent and insidious reality that continues to affect millions, even in communities that formally reject caste divisions. The Christian community, which upholds the belief in equality before God, is not exempt from this social inequality. Dalit Christians, in particular, face discrimination and exclusion — even within church spaces. However, a growing number of Dalit Christians are challenging this oppression.

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