Several young Orthodox converts who live at the St. James House, a self-directed program for young Orthodox adults, kept asking me during my visit last November if I had met Joe, the beekeeper. From what I had gathered, this guy named Joseph “Joe” Dunham, 68, was a living legend of the Eagle River community. He sounded quirky. I had to meet him.
Read More(OPINION) Being old doesn’t feel much different from being middle-aged. I’d always expected something dramatic. A grand demarcation. Instead, I’m pretty much doing what I’ve done forever. But when you’re old, you may have 20 wonderful years left or 20 minutes. You wake up in the morning, cross yourself (even if you’re not Catholic) and pray for the best.
Read MoreWhile less than 1% of Americans identify as Orthodox Christians, 5% of Alaskans identified as Orthodox in 2014, according to Pew Research. And while the number of regular attendees at Eastern Orthodox churches in the U.S. has declined 14% from 2010 to 2020, the number of parishes grew 3% over the same decade, according to the latest data in the 2020 Census of Orthodox Christian Churches.
Read MoreCatholic leaders in Africa said Pope Francis’ visit to South Sudan is long awaited and could help push the political players to a settlement. The wider Catholic community in Africa is in a state of frustration over Francis’ decision to cancel and postpone his planned visit to the crises-ravaged nations of Congo and South Sudan after opting to go ahead with his trip to Canada.
Read More“Not only is a powerful (Orthodox?) tyrant annihilating human life and fertile land, but a prominent (Orthodox!) patriarch is granting benediction and endorsement of this destruction of a neighboring population that shares much of the same faith, history, and culture.”
Read MoreJoshua Prager’s book, “The Family Roe” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction and received broad acclaim for Prager’s painstaking research into the life of the Roe v. Wade plaintiff — Norma McCorvey in real life and “Jane Roe” to the court — and many people connected to her, including the daughter born to her before abortion was legalized.
Some critics suggest that soft-on-crime policies have gone too far in recent years and perhaps even damaged efforts to help the homeless, drug addicts and prostitutes. The tensions around rising murder rates in major cities around the United States in recent years are also creating hurdles for the loose coalition of conservative, Christian and libertarian nonprofits and billionaires who have collaborated with progressive left activists in the cause of prison reform and deincarceration.
Read MoreMany Black American pastors aren't jumping on the spiritual caravan with White evangelical churches that largely vote Republican. Black churches have a complex relation with religion and politics on the topic of abortion and other issues. So while some Black churches and pastors support the ruling, plenty of others do not.
Read MoreJoseph Kennedy, a high school football coach in Bremerton, Washington, is waiting for a ruling to emerge from the Supreme Court any day in his case about prayer. And he insists he is a centrist that most Americans would agree with on religious freedom issues and the Constitution.
Read MoreDavid Bauer coached Canada’s men’s ice hockey team at the 1964 Winter Games. Largely credited with creating the first truly national Canadian hockey team, Bauer left a truly great legacy. An educator and Catholic priest, Bauer was a pioneer and remains a Canadian icon admired to this day.
Read More(OPINION) In Southern Baptist polity — with sprawling structures of autonomous congregations that, to varying degrees, fund state, national and global ministries — there are no leadership structures resembling local Presbyterian presbyteries, regional annual conferences among United Methodists or the powerful diocesan structures of Catholics, Episcopalians and others. Local churches ordain, hire and fire clergy.
Read More(OPINION) A Page 1 analytical feature in the Los Angeles Times about Biola University suggested it was on a downward spiral, perhaps part of an impending implosion of similar schools nationally. And it pointed at Michael Longinow, without naming him, as the faculty adviser to a campus newspaper in which free thought — particularly about race — was not allowed.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Tom Catena, an American Catholic, has worked as a doctor for 14 years in the the Nuba Mountains in Sudan — a desolate, rebel-held area that was bombed repeatedly from 2011 until 2018 by the Khartoum government when Omar al-Bashir was president.
Read MoreIn a sport in which scoring three-pointers, avoiding turnovers and getting to the free-throw line frequently are all keys to a successful season, it’s the Golden State Warriors’ commitment to Christ and faith that has become a major driver for the success of this team.
Read MoreSwedish Lutherans built the Gloria Dei church between 1698 and 1700 and worshipped along the Delaware River for several generations before it became part of the Episcopal Church in 1845. The church’s story and presence symbolize a unique chapter in American religious history and valuable contributions that Swedes made to religious freedom and tolerance in America.
Read MoreMark Dowdy was a band director at Morningside, the community where televangelist Jim Bakker broadcasts tapings of his show, in 2011. When he began, he hoped he would be able to do good through Bakker’s ministry — but his view quickly changed. He talked to ReligionUnplugged about his time at Morningside and what he thinks of Bakker.
Read MoreArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week that she is not eligible to receive Holy Communion when attending Mass in the Archdiocese of San Francisco given her support for abortion rights. Cordileone notified Pelosi of his decision on May 19 and announced it to the public in two separate letters.
Read More(REVIEW) You may have never heard of the school, but that’s what makes their story an even better one. Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas has the numbers and alums to prove it is a powerhouse. Now there’s a new documentary that takes viewers into what makes this school so special.
Read More(REVIEW) Emerging from a small sect within Judaism, early Christianity absorbed much of the religious, cultural and philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world at the time. A new book looks at the centuries that followed the crucifixion of Jesus, which were ones of intense persecution. Christianity would eventually flourish and become the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Read MoreThe humanitarian activist and religious freedom fighter Cardinal Zen, who had previously served as bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009, was detained, along with four others, in connection with his role as administrator of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which supported pro-democracy demonstrations by paying for the legal and medical fees of protesters.
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