The 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) The goal of aid is to end situations that lead to aid. It is estimated that the West has given $1.2 trillion in aid and development assistance to Africa since 1990 according to Greg Mills in the book “Expensive Poverty.” Much of that aid came from the U.S. But sadly the foreign aid has had little or no impact on bettering the lives of poor Africans.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The schism in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the most ancient and largest churches in the world, is another symptomatic evidence of the twin threats that Ethiopia is currently facing, namely ethnocentrism that results from fusing ethnicity with politics and religious extremism that results from fusing ethnicity with religion.
Read MoreFor South African preachers, salary often comes with stigma. Many of the country’s first Churches of Christ were planted by missionaries — who also served as their first ministers, supported only by sponsoring churches in the U.S. As these churches transitioned from mission work to independent congregations, missionaries were hesitant to stress the importance of financially supporting future ministers.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Tragic reports about the killing of Nigerian Christians have become all too common. And the recent account of a Catholic priest being shot and burned alive in his church just before Christmas was particularly gruesome — in that same incident, 40 worshippers, including children, also lost their lives.
Read MoreUganda’s Prophet Elvis Mbonye is worth an estimated $115 million. He’s one of the country’s most talked about prophets amid claims that a variety of his predictions have come true, from the restoration of broken laptops to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016 and Brexit.
Read MorePope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as head of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 until his surprise resignation in 2013, was a theologian known for his writings and defense of traditional values to counter the increased secularization of the West.
Read MoreThe team, nicknamed the Atlas Lions, became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinals in the tournament’s 92-year history. Not only did Morocco represent the African continent, but over the past four weeks was a team that galvanized the Arab world behind it.
Read MoreThe Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, a limestone building in the style of old Arab structures, houses many masterpieces connected to Islam. From ceramics to manuscripts, the museum is the Arab world’s artistic jewel and a repository like no other. It is the only one of its kind to highlight art and culture from the Arab world.
Read MoreThe tradition of a man bringing gifts to children is traced to stories about the early Greek bishop, St. Nicholas of Myra, a small city in modern day Turkey. Santa Claus today goes by different names around the world and is linked to various folktales and cultural practices. Here are the lesser-known variations of Santa, from the beaches of Aruba to the snow-capped mountains of Finland.
Read MoreAn American missionary pilot serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship is being held in a maximum-security prison in Mozambique on charges he supported insurgents in the country. Ryan Koher, 31, was detained Nov. 4 along with two South African volunteers. He had been scheduled to fly supplies, including vitamins, to church-run orphanages.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The World Cup in Qatar continues to roll along into the semifinals. So far, the premier soccer tournament — and arguably the planet’s biggest sporting event — has showcased skill, drama and even some upsets. Aside from all that, what the World Cup has also generated are plenty of different kinds of storylines to focus on.
Read MoreDr. Anne Merriman, 87, recalls a time in Uganda when people were “dying all over the place” in 1993, the height of the AIDS epidemic. Though she initially arrived in Africa with only three months’ funding, Merriman managed to set up a successful continent-wide palliative care program now present in 37 countries. Over nearly three decades, it has let thousands of patients die a dignified death at home and provided palliative care training to nurses and others.
Read MoreThis week U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a list of countries that the U.S. government considers “countries of particular concern” for religious freedom violations. Nigeria is notably absent, despite attacks so frequent that many Christian ministries have stopped serving some rural communities.
Read MoreA new statue in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square has sparked an unlikely controversy. At center stage is the life of Baptist preacher and Malawian national hero John Chilembwe. He was killed leading a rebellion against British colonial authorities during World War I.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Eighty years ago, in November 1942, the Nazis occupied Tunisia. For the next six months, Tunisian Jews and Muslims were subjected to the Third Reich’s reign of terror, as well as its antisemitic and racist legislation. Residents lived in fear – “under the Nazi boot,” as Tunisian Jewish lawyer Paul Ghez wrote in his diary during the occupation.
Read More(OPINION) What exactly was antisemitic about the tweets and statements by Kanye West (now known as Ye) and Kyrie Irving over the past few weeks? Despite being antisemitic in tone, did any of these statements contain some degree of truth?
Read MoreLifesong is a halfway house that takes in young men who have left prison. It was founded by James Ouma in 2018. They are taught life skills and helped to reintegrate into society. It is the only one of its kind offering such services to that age group in Kenya.
Read MoreThe Argentina versus England quarterfinal matchup at the 1986 World Cup will forever be remembered as the game where Diego Maradona scored twice, one of them a controversial goal he later dubbed the “Hand of God.” The game, a mix of political tension and faith, cemented Maradona’s place as one of soccer’s greatest players.
Read MoreAs Uganda faces a deadly Ebola outbreak, many faith leaders in the country are being asked to do a surprising thing — nothing. So far, there have been 95 confirmed cases, with the Ministry of Health announcing this week the spread of the virus to Kampala, which has recorded 14 cases in the past week.
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