The murders this past May in Kenya of two Catholic priests reflecst a global context in which clergy, who have always lived among the poor and on the peripheries, are now being hunted. In many areas around the world where the state has receded, faith often becomes the last visible institution â and the first to be attacked. From the Americas to Africa, religious workers have become marked men and women.
Read MoreThe case of a high school football coach praying on the field has been in the spotlight since the Supreme Courtâs 2022 ruling. But another football controversy first emerged in 2015, when two Christian schools made it to the state championships. The games were run by the stateâs athletic association. Officials barred them from conducting a prayer over the loudspeaker before kickoff.
Read MoreWeekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on his 35 years in full-time journalism. It started with the editor of a small-town Oklahoma newspaper taking a chance on him.
Read MoreIn the post-pandemic era, it appears that more and more Americans are conducting their spiritual searches in multiple sets of pews or, perhaps, attending one church in person and another via digital streaming. Itâs a seeker-friendly, mix-and-match approach.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Two recent announcements about two upcoming faith-based releases that could be game-changers for the industry: Angel Studios and The Wonder Projectâs âYoung Washingtonâ and Mel Gibsonâs âThe Resurrection of the Christ.â While the announcements have mostly gone under the radar, they have the potential to upend the Hollywood landscape as we know it for a long time to come.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Whatâs your most evangelistic T-shirt? Iâve got a bunch from my church â youth camps where I was a counselor, mission trips, Leadership Training for Christ. But the T-shirt that gets the most comments simply says âJesus â„ You.â
Read More(ANALYSIS) With a nod to digital life, Merriam-Webster has expanded its âinfluencerâ definition to include a âperson who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.â Pope Leo XIV didn't use that term in his latest remarks on faith in the internet age, even while addressing the recent Vatican Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Influencers.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a summer when world leaders debate regulation of artificial intelligence and digital platforms scramble to retain user trust, Pope Leo XIV is offering a different vision â rooted not in control but in communion, not in efficiency but in encounter. Over a million young people under the Roman twilight, that invitation resonated â not as nostalgia, but as a hopeful step into the future.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Ask Harvard University. But first, British philosopher John Locke said each person has God-given rights to life, liberty, and property. Americaâs Declaration of Independence replaced âpropertyâ with âthe Pursuit of Happinessâ as among humansâ âunalienable Rights ⊠endowed by their Creator.â On the brink of the Declarationâs 250th anniversary, just how can happiness be pursued?
Read More(ANALYSIS) The situation in Gaza requires urgent attention and response from the international community â to prevent further civilian suffering and death. While some steps have been taken to provide humanitarians assistance, as it stands, the steps appear to be too little and too late to address the current and ever-growing needs of the population.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Christian transhumanism sounds like a contradiction â because it is. For years, transhumanism has been tied to atheism. Man becoming god. Machines replacing miracles. But now, a strange movement is growing in America. Some believers argue that resurrection and uploading your mind aren't so different. That eternal life through tech is an upgrade, not heresy.
Read More(ANALYSIS) PCA folks, itâs your moment â few denominations punch above their weight online like you do. Hereâs why.
Read MoreDeion Sanders canât â or wonât â stop talking about the Lord. Especially now. This week, Coloradoâs head football coach mentioned God and faith at least three dozen times during a 40-minute news conference to discuss his private battle with bladder cancer.
Read MoreChanneling the rage on the Bluesky social-media platform, Sunny Hostin at âThe Viewâ claimed that the decision by CBS executives to cancel Stephen Colbert's âLate Showâ could be the start of dangerous people "dismantling of our Constitution.â This raised questions for me, several of which were discussed during this weekâs âCrossroadsâ podcast. For starters, who â other than President Donald Trump & Co. â were these dangerous people? Did this include millions of Americans who used to watch late-night TV and are now watching whatever they choose to watch on YouTube?
Read More(ANALYSIS) When Scottie Scheffler celebrated his recent victory at the British Open, it was hard to tell who drew the loudest cheers â the world's No. 1 golfer or his toddler son, Bennett. Nike captured the family vibe with a viral advertisement showing Scheffler and Bennett, with the caption, "You've already won," before adding, âBut another major never hurt.â
Read More(ANALYSIS) Nearly five million travelers visit Yellowstone National Park each year, most in the summer months. They come for the geysers, wildlife, scenery and recreational activities such as hiking, fishing and photography. However, few realize that religion has been part of Yellowstoneâs appeal throughout the parkâs history.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Unless a federal court challenge succeeds, American clergy are now free to endorse political candidates in sermons during worship. The Internal Revenue Service has just erased the pulpit prohibition that for 71 years was among conditions to obtain federal tax exemption on income and donor gifts. The impact is tough to predict.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For some Jewish college students, the Trump administrationâs approach to campus antisemitism came as a relief after two years of what they perceived as weak action by universities and the federal government. Fewer are cheering after the White House signed a $221 million settlement with Columbia University.
Read MoreThis brings us to Schefflerâs remarkable press conference in which he offered a long, complex set of quotes about the centrality of his family and faith in his life and work. To many sports insiders he sounded like a heretic, as opposed to a prophet.
Read MoreOh no, not Theo. That was the first thought of millions of Generation Xers when the news broke this week of Malcolm-Jamal Warnerâs accidental drowning death in Costa Rica at age 54. Hereâs why âThe Cosby Showâ actor was so influential and beloved.
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