Posts in Analysis
Faith Emerges As A Vital Part Of Uvalde's Story, Even As Attention Focuses On Police And Guns

For the second week in a row, this week’s Weekend Plug-in leads with the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
News Coverage Of Pelosi Communion Ban Mangled Catholic Doctrine

(OPINION) National news coverage regarding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi being banned by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone from taking Holy Communion because of her continued support — in words and deeds — for abortion rights spanned from very good to baffling and very poor.

Read More
‘May God Heal Their Little Hearts, Their Little Souls’: Prayer And Lament In Uvalde

This week’s Weekend Plug-in opens with the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers, along with the gunman. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
What Is A Latter-day Saint Temple?

(ANALYSIS) Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration. They are where the faith’s most sacred rites or “ordinances” are performed, so church members were traditionally taught not to discuss some of them publicly.

Read More
‘An Apocalypse’: Probe Into Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Turns Up ‘Bombshell’ Findings

A special Monday edition of Weekend Plug-in highlights Sunday’s big news: the release of a 288-page investigative report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
At A Popular Evangelical Tourist Site, The Ark Encounter, The Image Of A ‘Wrathful God’ Appeals To Millions

(ANALYSIS) The Ark Encounter boasts a re-creation of the story of Noah’s Ark from the Bible. But what is particularly striking about Ark Encounter is that it is a tourist site devoted to emphasizing — with great specificity — the wrathful nature of God and the eternal damnation that awaits unrepentant sinners.

Read More
Pro-Abortion Rights Protesters Hit Catholic Churches: Why You Didn't Read About It

(ANALYSIS) If there was ever a doubt that Americans are living in two, separate news universes, then the past two weeks certainly crystallized that reality even more than the polarizing presidential elections of 2016 and 2020. As a result, a major news story on pro-abortion rights protesters at churches was totally ignored by many mainstream news sites.

Read More
This Political Reporter Says Journalism Has Made Him A Better Christian — He's Not Alone

Is it hard to be a Christian and a journalist? Is it possible to be a Christian and a journalist? This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights recent first-person pieces that explore these questions. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith?

Read More
Abortion Bombshell: Panel Explores Religious Response To Roe v. Wade's Likely Strikedown

Weekend Plug-in features a reporter roundtable on this week’s bombshell news: the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would reverse Roe v. Wade. Plus, as always, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
The Supreme Court Opinion Leak That Could Give Way To A River Of Fear — Or Compassion In Difference

(ANALYSIS) On Tuesday, a preliminary draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked to Politico, revealing that the court — as of February — intended to overturn Roe v. Wade. What does the leak mean for the court and America, and how have faith voices responded?

Read More
Pope Francis Vs. Cardinal Becciu: Inside The Vatican's ‘Trial Of The Century’

(ANALYSIS) Something akin to a Catholic “Trial of the Century” has gotten underway in Rome and there’s plenty of palace intrigue to go around. The trial involving corruption, bad real estate deals and financial wrongdoing has placed Pope Francis in the center of a controversy that for the first time doesn’t involve doctrine or theology.

Read More
Can A High School Coach Pray At 50-Yard Line? 5 Key Takeaways From High Court Arguments

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the arguments in the case of a high school football coach who wants to pray at the 50-yard line after his team’s games. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
How A Christian Education Shaped The Life Of The Late Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki

(ANALYSIS) As a child, the late Mwai Kibaki was taken to school by Consolata Missionaries because he did not have the strength for the back-breaking tasks of peasant farming and looking after animals. Those early interactions with Catholics became evident in Kibaki’s moderate dealings as a lecturer, politician and eventual president of Kenya.

Read More
Disney Deja Vu: The Religious Roots Of The Fight Over So-Called ‘Don't Say Gay’ Law

The culture war skirmish between Walt Disney World and Florida lawmakers, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, leads this week’s Weekend Plug-in. Plus, catch up, as always, on the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
Getty Museum's Christian Manuscripts Exhibit Sees Antisemitism Where There Is None

(REVIEW) Images from 31 unique ancient objects, including Christian manuscripts in Latin, the Getty’s treasured Rothschild Pentateuch in Hebrew and two printed Hebrew books — from between 1040 to 1592 — are on display until May 29 at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. But the Getty’s text descriptions seem intended to push a misinterpretation of the Christian images as works of antisemitism and misogyny, based on little or no evidence.

Read More
Will More Americans Turn Agnostic On The Gospel Of Disney?

(OPINION) Will more Americans — from the right and the left — untangle their bizarre fantasy with a misappropriating, rather cowardly, cult-like entertainment industrial complex? Has Disney going woke finally caused Americans to wake up from their slumber like Rip van Winkle? Mickey Mouse can’t have his cake and eat it too anymore.

Read More
Some ‘Father Stu’ News Coverage Missed Movie's Real-Life Redemptive Message

(ANALYSIS) It’s understandable that reviewers are entitled to their opinions. After all, that’s the job of a critic. But the coverage around “Father Stu,” however, has been framed in a certain way, offering up lopsided and negative takes among many mainstream news sites.

Read More
How Golfer Scottie Scheffler Praised God After Master’s Tournament Win

(ANALYSIS) If you’re a golf fan, you should know the name Scottie Scheffler by now. The 25-year-old has been the talk of the PGA for the past few months for his remarkable run this season. His win at the widely-televised Masters Tournament also built a wider audience for Scheffler’s calm, zen-like Christian faith.

Read More