A desire to fulfill the Great Commission drove a minister to West Africa’s fertile fields of souls. Three decades ago, the first Church of Christ opened its doors in this town of less than 20,000, a few hours northeast of Ghana’s coastal capital, Accra. Today, Greater Dzodze has expanded to more than 30 congregations with an estimated 5,000 members.
Read MoreDesperate to save a beloved older Christian, a North Carolina church ran an ad asking for a volunteer. A young woman hundreds of miles away responded.
Read More(OPINION) For the Rev. Duane Beachey, the central miracle of the early church was its willingness to abolish racial barriers. Too often, Beachey said, although Christians “claim to take the Bible quite literally from Genesis to Revelation, they don’t take the words of Jesus literally most of the time.”
Read More(OPINION) The Hillbilly Thomists are a “musical collective” of Dominicans, most of whom have Bible Belt roots. The band of priests and brothers recently staged a concert in the Grand Ole Opry and over the past decade has recorded three albums of music that would sound at home at Appalachian fairs but not in most church halls.
Read MoreAs the Sept. 2 premiere of “Lord of the Rings” prequel “Rings of Power” grows closer, fans anticipate and fear what the show will bring. For many, the biggest question is how the show will incorporate Christianity — if it will at all. Tolkien’s Catholicism is at the heart of the original series, and many Tolkien scholars argue that God is the central character.
Read MoreGlobal South Anglicans are experiencing a "volcano of growth" and remain "at loggerheads" with the shrinking churches of the United Kingdom, North America and other Western nations. While most Global South bishops serve growing flocks — roughly 75% of active worshippers in the 77-million-member Anglican Communion — many Western bishops lead what Goodhew called "micro-dioceses" with under 1,000 active members or "mini-dioceses" with fewer than 5,000.
Read More(REVIEW) Valentina Pedicini’s documentary “Faith” spends time in a sect of Christianity called the Warriors of Light, composed of former martial arts champions who live ascetic lives and train daily to fight in a coming spiritual battle. The documentary focuses on why people have faith and what sustains it.
Read MoreWith the advent of small-batch clothing lines launched easily and cheaply through websites and social media feeds rather than brick-and-mortar retail stores, many fashion entrepreneurs like Floryn C. Ajuzie are creating new clothing brands, products and strategies driven by their personal faith and beliefs. Their success raises questions about branding strategy as well as ethics of retail.
Read MoreThere has been an increase in crimes committed against houses of worship across North America, predominantly aimed at Catholic churches, since last year. Many of these incidents have taken place in the weeks prior and after the Supreme Court decision to roll back federal abortion rights.
Read MoreOrthodox Christians in North America and around the world already are venerating the Alaskan matriarch for her care and concern for abused women.
Read More(REVIEW) The creative team behind “The Chosen” put together a documentary in which nine members of Gen Z binge-watched the first season of the show and shared their reaction. The documentary showcases a lot of genuine spiritual growth, but don’t expect it to solve all the problems present with young people and the church.
Read MoreThe arrival of St. Herman and a group of eight monks on this island on Sept. 24, 1794, planted a seed for the Orthodox Church on the continent. Since then, Alaska has been a spiritual cradle of Orthodox Christianity in North America.
Read MoreSeveral 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.
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