In an interview with ReligionUnplugged.com, theoretical physicist and Templeton Prize winner Dr. Frank Wilczek said he was raised in New York City by parents with Italian and Polish backgrounds who wanted him educated in the Catholic tradition: “As a child, I took it very, very seriously and I think it had a residual influence in my later life in helping me to think big and look for the hidden meaning of things.”
Read MoreLike many people seeking special companions in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States, we drove hours, invested hundreds of dollars and loads of emotional energy into this pilgrimage to a unique religious and cultural landscape. We’d come to adopt a five-pound, brown, furry little friend. She was an Amish-born canine Doodle princess. Her given name: Alisha.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Tuesday, a preliminary draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked to Politico, revealing that the court — as of February — intended to overturn Roe v. Wade. What does the leak mean for the court and America, and how have faith voices responded?
Read More(OPINION) Will more Americans — from the right and the left — untangle their bizarre fantasy with a misappropriating, rather cowardly, cult-like entertainment industrial complex? Has Disney going woke finally caused Americans to wake up from their slumber like Rip van Winkle? Mickey Mouse can’t have his cake and eat it too anymore.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It’s understandable that reviewers are entitled to their opinions. After all, that’s the job of a critic. But the coverage around “Father Stu,” however, has been framed in a certain way, offering up lopsided and negative takes among many mainstream news sites.
Read More(ANALYSIS) If you’re a golf fan, you should know the name Scottie Scheffler by now. The 25-year-old has been the talk of the PGA for the past few months for his remarkable run this season. His win at the widely-televised Masters Tournament also built a wider audience for Scheffler’s calm, zen-like Christian faith.
Read MoreAn Anchorage congregation with members from Ukraine, Russia and other Slavic nations is working to feed and support families forced to flee their homes. “We can’t just sit here,” church member Zori Opanasevych says. “We have to do something.”
Read MoreDuring Lent, many Catholic churches participate in fish fries, a meal containing battered or breaded fried fish. Served every Friday following Ash Wednesday, the meals served during the Christian season of repentance have become a mainstay for many Catholic churches who use them to raise money and build community.
Read MorePope Francis offered up a special prayer for Ukraine and Russia in connection with a Marian apparition that’s over 100 years old. The pope called on all bishops, priests and believers to join him in the consecration of Ukraine and Russia, an act triggered by a 1917 apocalyptic vision of Mary to three children in the Portuguese city of Fatima.
Read More(OPINION) A hero to the right and bogeyman to the left, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis has received plenty of mainstream news coverage because of his use of so-called culture war issues to push legislation. But while the Catholicism of President Joe Biden is lauded in some media circles and debated in others, DeSantis’ faith is hardly mentioned.
Read More(REVIEW) Since many Catholics — ones in America in particular — are so carnivorous throughout much of the year, a new cookbook out just in time for Lent focuses on the very dilemma of what to eat on Fridays this month. Scott Hahn’s book “The Lenten Cookbook” from Sophia Institute Press serves up easy-to-make meals this spring.
Read MoreMarch may be all about dressing in green and celebrating St. Patrick, but March Madness has been all about wearing blue and cheering on St. Peter’s in Jersey City. The small Jesuit school socked the field by reaching the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Read MoreLithuania’s Hill of Crosses, where many visitors have left crosses to honor soldiers who died in uprisings against czarist Russia, has become a site to pray for Ukraine. The history of the Hill of Crosses is unclear. Folklore says the first cross was placed on the hill, formerly the home of a wooden castle, to remind others to pray for mercy and health of people. Soon, crosses began appearing to honor soldiers who died fighting against Russia, which disapproved and repeatedly demolished them.
Read MorePope Francis — in a private video call on March 16 with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church — said religious leaders “must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus.” Francis’ remarks to Patriarch Kirill, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, were the latest in a series of moves to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Read MoreMulti-Faith Neighbors Network was co-founded by a Christian pastor, a Muslim imam and a Jewish rabbi to promote international religious freedom and increase cooperation and understanding between the Abrahamic faiths. The friendship between co-founders Bob Roberts Jr., an evangelical pastor in Texas, and Mohamad Magid, an imam in Virginia, illustrates that mission. “Imam Magid is literally one of the best friends I have on the face of the earth,” Roberts said. “I’d rather hang out with him than most Christians I know.”
Read More(OPINION) Some recent careful articles have tried to analyze and illuminate the divisions of American evangelicals, but they are often one-sided, which means that they may simply exacerbate the very tensions they lament.
Read MoreSt. Patrick’s Day is once again upon us. Most think they know what the holiday is all about — like the need to wear green so we do not get pinched. But there’s so much more to this very important holiday for millions of people in Ireland and around the world.
Read More(ANALYSIS) We interrupt your reading about the war in Ukraine with a very important post about the global Catholic Synod on Synodality. Synod on Synodality? Say that three times fast. For some Catholics, it’s kind of a Zen thing.
Read More(REVIEW) One of the most misunderstood biblical figures has to be Mary Magdalene. A new book tries to finally set the record straight with a full examination of her life. In fact, centuries of distortions and myths is what theologian and author Adriana Valero tries to uncover in order to paint a fuller, and truthful, representation of one of the most important women from the New Testament.
Read MoreOrthodox churches around the world are all preparing for Easter, a celebration of Christ defeating death, by reflecting on Judgment Day. Despite this relative unity in worship, the Orthodox schism between Moscow and Constantinople that broke open in 2019 is cracking further. What is good and what is evil in the war in Ukraine is far from agreed upon.
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