It turns out New Orleans is more than Bourbon Street, burlesque and beads. The New Orleans Museum of Art, located five miles from the city’s downtown, isn’t afraid to pay homage to the state’s French colonial roots that have connections to Catholicism.
Read MoreWashington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible is fascinating for Christians of all denominations and even for people who identify with another faith tradition. The museum — in addition to highlighting Hebrew texts and the time Jesus lived — also integrates how the Bible and Christianity have influenced American culture and society since the early 1600s to the present.
Read More(OPINION) In the latest wrinkle in what researchers have long called the "worship wars," some church leaders are asking a blunt question about the decision to trade traditional hymnals for contemporary Christian music. That question: Has the typical Sunday service become a semiprofessional concert instead of a communal worship experience for all believers?
Read MoreThe windows keep drawing your eyes to study the images. The telling, minute details — lines in a beard, expressions on faces — are detailed in ways that make other stained glass windows seem dull. The color palate is more brilliant - like an LED screen from the 2000s rather than the picture tube technology from the 1980s. Instead of pastel colors found in other stained glass works, these hold bold, rich jewel tones.
Read More(ESSAY) It’s impossible not to notice St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in case you pass by the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. That’s not because it is particularly tall — especially near a much taller buildings that define New York City’s essence — but because something just profoundly sets it apart from the city’s usual mundane, gray backdrop.
Read More(REVIEW) Erwin Blumenfeld was the perfect fashion photographer. The Museum of the Art and History of Judaism in Paris is showcasing this work in over 180 photographs with the temporary exhibit “The Trials and Tribulations of Erwin Blumenfeld, 1930-1950.” It spans Blumenfeld’s most active and influential period.
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 MoreYing Zhang, associate professor of history at Ohio State University, is exploring the connections among prison, art and religion in a unique and meaningful way. Her lecture at The American Academy in Berlin accompanies her new book and discusses the way incarceration limits religious freedom.
Read MoreThe Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, a limestone building in the style of old Arab structures, houses many masterpieces connected to Islam. From ceramics to manuscripts, the museum is the Arab world’s artistic jewel and a repository like no other. It is the only one of its kind to highlight art and culture from the Arab world.
Read More(ESSAY) What is now the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, has become a pilgrimage destination for some and an enigma to others. Mark Rothko has long been the mid-century artist whose work I thought had the most to say about the human condition. As a reader of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, Rothko often said that tragedy was at the heart of human experience — that in solitude our deep loneliness was palpable.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Gospel Woman” is a brilliant new play produced by National Black Theatre. It’s an American family drama that focuses on grief, faith and healing — and it features some incredible gospel music.
Read More“The Unbelieving,” a new play on limited run in New York, explores the lives of clergy who stopped believing in God. The play is based on a qualitative study that interviewed clergy from across faith traditions about their transition away from believing and how the change threatened to take away their families, communities and sense of self.
Read MoreThe Abrahamic Symphony, which is being billed as the first international interfaith symphony, features three celebrated composers who each represent one of the Abrahamic religions. Its goal is to promote unity and harmony between religions. The symphony is rich with diverse culture and religion, featuring an ensemble of talented musicians and dynamic vocalists.
Read More(REVIEW) Defining photographer David LaChapelle is known for his celebrity portraits and his use of surreal stages highlighted with bright colors. His work is also deeply religious, often modernizing popular Renaissance art and imagining Jesus in the present day. His exhibit “make Believe” at Fotografiska in New York is a spiritual environment to take in his work and belief.
Read MoreA special retrospective “Dakota Modern” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City explores the significant of Dakota artist Oscar Howe in American art and religion.
Read More(ANALYSIS) K-pop group BTS is having its best year yet. The seven-member Korean boy band topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, broke 13 new Guinness World Records hitting a total of 23 and visited the White House. The band draws on the spirituality of self-realization, psychology, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Greek mythology and more to create its fictional universe.
Read MoreWhen fans aren’t packing stadiums to watch soccer matches, another thing that will get a lot of attention will be Qatar’s Islamic art and culture. As is the case with any country that plays World Cup host, visitors will get a real chance to see things in person they may not otherwise ever see anywhere else. Among those things will be the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque in the capital city, Doha.
Read More(REVIEW) “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition,” currently on a 27-city world tour, highlights the wonder of one of history’s greatest artistic achievements, allowing visitors to experience it like never before. It’s also easier and cheaper than flying to Rome in the middle of the summer.
Read MoreWhen Fortunata Evolo, a 20th century Italian mystic, was alive, thousands would come to her Italian village to seek her guidance. After her death in 2009, the pilgrims kept coming, declaring that she continued to perform miracles from her heavenly abode. They prayed at her tomb and finished building the “Villa of Joy,” a complex that Evolo said appeared to her in a vision.
Read MoreSt. Paul’s cathedral, part of the cultural heritage of the British community in Valparaíso, turns to music to keep its doors open. After its parishioners emigrated from the Chilean port city in the 20th century, a restoration process began with concerts at the Queen Victoria Memorial Organ.
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