👑 Faith And The Coronation Of King Charles III: What To Know About A Changing Britain🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the role of faith in the coronation of King Charles III. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Religious Lessons And Symbolism From A King’s Coronation

(ANALYSIS) Above all else, the coronation of this King is a worship service, held in Westminster Abbey and presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is an explicitly Christian worship service, though it will have participants from many religions. Rishi Sunak, the U.K. prime minister and a serious Hindu, will read from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians

Did The Election of Donald Trump Drive People from the Pews?

(ANALYSIS) There is no doubt in my mind that politics is one of the main culprits for the emptying out of American religion. That was my starting point for this piece. What follows is a peek inside how I think through a problem like that.

Dalai Lama Identifies The Reincarnation Of Mongolia’s Spiritual Leader: Preview Of Tensions Around Finding His Own Replacement

(ANALYSIS) The current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July 2023, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognizes the dalai lama’s successor.

Global South Anglicans Start Cutting Ties With Canterbury (Part 1)

(OPINION) The archbishop of Canterbury is attempting a classic Anglican maneuver in which the words of core doctrines remain unchanged, but bishops have the option to offer local pastoral policies that change what doctrines mean in real life, according to Gavin Ashenden, a former Anglican chaplain to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Raw Materials Or Sacred Beings? Lithium Extraction Puts Two Worldviews Into Tension

(ANALYSIS) In Uyuni, where one of the two new lithium plants will be constructed, Indigenous communities acknowledge the presence of these sacred beings. To this day, worshipers in nearby Lipez region explain the salt flat’s origin with a traditional legend: It is the mother’s milk of their Apu, a female volcano named Tunupa.

Why St. John Paul II Has Become A Media Target

(ANALYSIS) The mainstream press likes the sensational — news that gets clicks — on the late Pope John Paul II and accusations that he was not the saint the church makes him out to be. The tarnished halo story is one they cannot resist.

US Giving To Israeli Nonprofits: How Much Jews And Christians Donate And Where The Money Goes

(ANALYSIS) Israeli nonprofits amassed US$35.3 billion in total income in 2015, roughly $45 billion in 2023 dollars, from all sources. That total included revenue like university tuition and concert ticket sales, as well as $4.4 billion – roughly $5.6 billion in 2023 dollars – in donations from all sources, foreign and domestic.

'Big George Foreman': From Rage Fighter to Revived (Two-Time!) Champion

(REVIEW) Fighting Muhammad Ali and losing in 1974, Foreman began a downward spiral. Hit after hit to that newly accrued self-esteem eventually resulted in a near-death experience after a match. It’s after waking up from the blackout that Foreman experiences a transformational conversion, becoming a baptized Christian.

🐘 Faith And Freedom: For GOP Presidential Candidates, It's Cattle Call Time Again 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights first Republican presidential cattle call of the year in Iowa, where evangelicals are a crucial voting bloc. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Repressive Enforcement Of Iranian Hijab Laws Constitutes Gender-Based Persecution

(ANALYSIS) On April 14, United Nations experts warned that the repressive enforcement of Iranian hijab laws, as announced by the state authorities, would result in additional restrictive and punitive measures on women and girls who fail to comply with the country’s compulsory veiling laws.

With World Championship In Astana, Islam’s Relationship With Chess Comes Into Focus

Since the end of the Cold War, four Muslim-majority countries — Kazakhstan, Libya, Iran and Indonesia — have hosted the FIDE World Chess Championship. Despite the fact that hundreds of Muslim players have been ranked by FIDE over the years, the game remains controversial with many mainstream Sunni and Shia scholars disapproving of chess.

‘Lashawan Qwadash’: One Of The Craziest Beliefs Of The Black Hebrew Israelites

(OPINION) Among a host of crazy Black Hebrew Israelite beliefs, one of the most bizarre is the idea that they have preserved the real pronunciation of the Hebrew language, which they call Lashawan Qwadash. This is similar to claiming that Pig Latin is the true form of English or that William Shakespeare was famous for shaking a spear. It is that patently and blatantly absurd.

The Dalai Lama ‘Incident’: How Not To Respond To A Troubling Sexual Situation With A Child

(OPINION) In education circles, an incident like the Dalai Lama asking a boy to suck his tongue is often called a teachable moment. But the real lessons to be learned from this video could be titled “How NOT to respond to possible child sexual abuse” Or “How NOT to respond to a troubling sexual situation with a child.”

Behind Latter-Day Saint Church’s Wealth Are 2 Centuries Of Hits And Misses

(ANALYSIS) Revelations regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ finances have raised questions concerning the ethics of a religious organization amassing such a large amount of wealth, and how it is balanced with charitable giving. But headlines often overlook the long and surprising history of the modern church’s financial success — as well as the continued anxiety surrounding its economic reserves.

📫 Does Requiring A Mail Carrier To Work On Sunday Violate His Religious Freedom? 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights a Supreme Court case involving a mail carrier who quit his job rather than delivery packages on Sunday. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Massacres And Miracles From Colombia to Nigeria: Who Will Tell These Stories?

(OPINION) The future journalist was both shocked and inspired by her contact with Christians caught in that land's toxic climate of paramilitary warfare, drug trafficking and kidnappings. She struggled to grasp how someone like pilot Russell Martin Stendal, after years held for ransom, could forgive his kidnappers and then start a missionary effort to convert them.

Defying The Holocaust Didn’t Just Mean Uprising And Revolt: Remembering Jews’ Everyday Resistance

(ANALYSIS) Richard Glazar insisted that no one survived the Holocaust without help. To this Prague-born Jewish survivor, who endured Nazi imprisonment at Treblinka and Theresienstadt, plus years in hiding, it was impossible to persevere without others’ support.

FBI Documents Reveal Spying On Catholics: Where’s The Outrage?

(ANALYSIS) The inability for certain types of stories to register with the secular press — especially legacy media — is yet another sign of the political, cultural and moral divisions in our society and the dying notion of an objective press.

Campaign For Thorough Reform Of Muslim Law Deserves Mainstream Coverage – Now

(OPINION) The world’s largest organization of Muslims is campaigning for thorough worldwide reform of how to understand the faith’s religious law, Shariah, and applied jurisprudence, Fiqh. Such an ambitious goal may seem unlikely, and to date, Western media have given the effort minimal coverage. It’s time for that trend to change.

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