(ANALYSIS) The public legacy of Pope Francis is secured by elite journalists who shape much of what appears in the mainstream news media. Catholics, however, may have a different view — if they read coverage in alternative news sources — given earlier scandals of the Francis era and now the Rupnik case.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Sukkot is a Jewish festival that follows right on the heels of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Judaism’s High Holy Days. The harvest holiday, which begins on Sept. 29, 2023, lasts for seven days when celebrated in Israel and eight days when celebrated elsewhere.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites on Sept. 19, 2023. The eight mound complexes that received this designation are spread across central and southern Ohio and were built between the beginning of the common era and the 12th century.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The growing use of AI may prompt more churches to debut AI-generated worship services. A church in Austin, Texas, for example, has put a banner out advertising a service with an AI-generated sermon. The church worship will also include an AI-generated call to worship and pastoral prayer. Yet this use of AI has prompted concerns, as these technologies are believed to disrupt authentic human presence and leadership in religious life.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in previews the Catholic Church’s upcoming synod on synodality in Rome. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The religious group that is the most likely to be straight is Muslims at 85%, followed closely by a whole bunch of other groups such as Protestants, Catholics, “just Christians” and Hindus. But here’s a really big surprise to me — only 78% of Latter-day Saints in college say that they are straight.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It was an attack that not only exposed Kenya’s lackluster security in public places — but changed the way Kenya’s churches handled worship services. For the first time ever, churchgoers were subjected to metal detectors, sniffer dogs and armed policemen camped outside buildings while services went on.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Often panned both by secular and Christian film critics, faith-based films have been criticized for many things, whether it’s for the writing, acting or for perceived problematic messages. And yet, with all of the criticism, much of it valid (including much of it by me), it can get lost what good things there are in what we call “faith-based films” — movies made by people of faith for people of faith — that cause them to resonate so strongly with so many people.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The small Armenian Christian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh — locally known as Artsakh — has long been part of historical Armenia. Since December 2022, Artsakh has been under siege by neighboring Azerbaijan, and the world has largely ignored a prolonged assault on that peaceful community of 120,000 souls.
Read More(ANALYSIS) During the formative first centuries of Christian history, there were some 40 texts in circulation that could be considered “gospels,” according to one scholar, while another counted as many as 70. Marvin Meyer of Chapman University decided a dozen such nonbiblical gospels merited inclusion in a 2005 anthology, while others have proposed different listings.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the latest news from the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Guy cannot recall any “legacy media” coverage of Scott Hahn, the influential U.S. Catholic lay theologian. If you haven’t done a feature on this fascinating Ohioan, here’s the ideal news peg — Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops that begins at the Vatican Oct. 4.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Another week and yet another headline about Pope Francis feuding with a doctrinally conservative American prelate. It’s become an all-too-common story and one that the legacy media often can’t resist.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Nearly 30% of Americans say they have no religious affiliation. Today the so-called “nones” represent about 30% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans — and they are making their voices heard. Organizations lobby on behalf of atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and other nonreligious people.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The data indicates that the relationship between regular religious attendance and education is a positive one. The more educated, the more likely to attend church/synagogue/mosque. That’s true in every wave of the Cooperative Election Study. And, the effect is not a small one. In many years, someone with a graduate degree is 50% more likely to be a weekly attender than someone without a high school diploma.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The upshot, according to Pew demographer Conrad Hackett, is that by available measures, China is — on the surface — “the least religious country in the world.” That’s not surprising when media and public meetings are restricted and the government forbids religious education while subjecting children to intensive atheistic propaganda at school.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Sept. 13, 1993, the world watched as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn. It was a stunning moment. The famous handshake between adversaries marked the beginning of what became known as the Oslo Accords, a framework for talks between Israeli and Palestinian representatives, mediated by U.S. diplomats.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Last month, United Nations experts published a statement of concern about the situation in the northeast state of Manipur in India. As they indicated, they are concerned about the alleged acts of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, home destruction, forced displacement, torture and ill treatment perpetrated in Manipur.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What’s the state of interpersonal trust in the United States over the last five decades, and what role does religion play? If you look at the results from the 2010s, it’s clear that at a minimum, there’s no more positive association between religious attendance and trust. If anything, it may be a slightly negative relationship now.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Move aside, Southern Baptists and their drive to restrict women’s pastoral ministry in church. Women will be just one of many contested topics when Pope Francis presides Oct. 4–29 over his Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, already in line to become the religion story of the year, even though final decisions await a second session in October 2024.
Read More
