(ANALYSIS) Hawaii’s largest and oldest volcano, Mauna Loa, began erupting on Nov. 27, 2022, with lava flowing miles away downhill. The last eruption, which lasted three weeks, was nearly 40 years ago. It is not clear how long this eruption will last, but for many Native Hawaiians, it is a profound spiritual experience.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The politicization of American society has affected a great number of institutions. The FBI has also become politicized. This is a belief that picked up momentum during Donald Trump’s presidency, but continues to exist now. If journalism is the place that you believe should shed a light on this painful paradox, then you’d be sadly mistaken.
Read MoreThe 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 MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the opening of the $50 million Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Marking the two years of the Tatmadaw in power, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that, to date, the military coup has led to the death of around 3,000 civilians as well as the destruction of villages and houses of worship in various parts of the country.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Now, missiologists — the people who study missionary efforts and their effectiveness — are weighing in on the He Gets Us campaign, and they’re finding flaws, or at least gaps, in the Jesus the campaign is pushing.
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 MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religion angles in this weekend’s Super Bowl. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Old-school objectivity in journalism appears to be dead. My proof for that statement is that the ongoing vandalism of churches is a major story, but one that elite newsroom professionals have decided is a right-wing political talking point. If this isn’t a flaw in the current way journalists do things, then expect for more readers to look elsewhere for information.
Read More(OPINION) The teaching against gay and lesbian sexual relationships stood essentially unquestioned for 2,000 years, but now that’s changing. Still, on the global level, some 2 billion people belong to Christian traditions where there’s no prospect of any major change, though individual members dissent. The same is true for a billion Muslims.
Read MoreEn varios países de América latina existe un vínculo intenso con el fútbol, pero en la Argentina esa relación es mucho más estrecha. Eso lleva a que todo lo que ocurra vinculado al fútbol sea una caja de resonancia a nivel de la sociedad muy importante.
Read More(OPINION) We learn the most valuable things we learn not so much by embarking on a purposeful pilgrimage or a defined course of study — although such pursuits have their place — but by flopping blindly through life bumping into things.
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 MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the case of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after a beating by Memphis, Tenn., police. Plus, as always, catch up on all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Despite efforts to convince the American public that the religious left is a potent force in American politics — the data just does not support that assertion. In fact, it shows that Democrats are significantly less religious by any objective measure of the term compared to their Republican counterparts.
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 MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Plus, as always, catch up on all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Many Muslims today believe it is inappropriate to depict Muhammad, but it was not always so in the past. Debates about this subject within the Muslim community are ongoing. Within the academic world, this material is taught in a neutral and analytical way to help students assess and understand historical evidence.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Catholic Church recently lost a giant. The recent death of Cardinal George Pell at age of 81 was the literal loss of a giant — he stood at a towering 6 feet, 6 inches. But he was also a man who attracted both controversy and consternation. Now his final words regarding what he thought about Pope Francis and the direction of the church have come into fuller view since his death.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the state of the anti-abortion movement 50 years after Roe v. Wade — and seven months after Roe’s overturning. Plus, as always, catch up on all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
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