Posts in Christianity
Book Excerpt: ‘Taken By Surprise: The Asbury Revival Of 2023’

Through 16 days of round-the-clock, continuous worship, participants recalled an extraordinary sense of the nearness of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There was no performance with celebrities or polished musicians and no comfortable, spacious venue. Yet an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 pilgrims came from at least 40 states, 286 campuses, and 40 countries. This work explores a spontaneous revival whose impact through social media continues to reverberate around the world.

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9/11 Firefighter Tim Brown Talks About Loss, Healing and Faith

The horrific events of that day also reveal a story of heroism, hope, love and sacrifice. On that very day and the weeks that followed, New York became a city of quiet heroes. Tim Brown was one of them, though he doesn't consider himself a hero. Brown, a decorated 20-year FDNY firefighter, survived the attack on the World Trade Center and was also a first responder to the 1993 terrorist attack at the building complex.

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One of the World’s Tallest Statues Of The Virgin Mary Built In Egypt

Egypt’s holiest monastery is now also home to one of the largest statues of Mary in the world. Located at the Virgin Mary Monastery in the village of Durunka, some 250 miles from the capital, Cairo, the statue stands at 28 feet in height atop a 46-foot pedestal.

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Attendance and Giving Rebound, But Churches Still Struggling Post-Pandemic

Many U.S. churches are rebounding from the pandemic, but many challenges remain, a new report reveals. The study, funded by the Lilly Endowment and led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, offered a snapshot of this evolving landscape.

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Buddhists A Majority In China As Christianity’s Growth Struggles

The growth of Christianity in China has stagnated over the past decade, while one-third of the country’s adult population identifies as Buddhist. A new Pew Research Center report found that only 10% of Chinese adults identified with any religious group — but the number rose significantly when survey questions focused on spirituality, customs and superstitions.

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Pastor’s Conviction Highlights Uganda’s Growing Problem Of Ritual Sacrifice

Cases such as the one involving Pastor Joseph Sserubiri have garnered attention, both in Uganda and internationally, due to their heinous nature. The government and law enforcement agencies have made efforts to combat these crimes, but addressing the issue has proven to be complex due to a combination of factors.

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Orthodox Abbess Katherine Weston Talks About Faith And Racial Reconciliation

Orthodox Christianity is gradually gaining interest among diverse ethnic groups around the world, including African Americans. Mother Katherine Weston, for example, became Orthodox in the late 1980s. She is an abbess and also the president of the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black, a nonprofit committed to training Orthodox Christians for the ministry of racial reconciliation.

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Liturgies Against Dementia: Inside Margaret Sayers’ ‘Lest We Forget: A Christian Response to Dementia’

(REVIEW) In less than 40 pages, Margaret Sayers outlines a few helpful remedies for a host of challenges that come with old age, frailty and conditions such as dementia. The recommendations are meant primarily for caregivers or those who often interact with a family member in such conditions, for instance.

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NGO providing relief to Nigeria’s Persecuted Christians

Thousands of internally displaced Nigerians are currently being kept in camps that are not habitable. But the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria, a local nongovernmental organization, is providing support to victims of attacks in the country.

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From Durer to TikTok: The Evolution of Self-Making

(REVIEW) How have we become like gods? Tracing the story from the Middle Ages, with its philosophical culmination in Nietzsche and modern manifestation in the transhumanist movement and the Kardashians, author Tara Isabella Burton explains how humanity has come to seek flourishing apart from God in her book “Self-Made.”

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For Baseball Star Clayton Kershaw And His Wife, Faith Provides A Foundation

Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, talked about their faith — not to mention their family and fastballs — during the team’s Christian Faith and Family Day. Clayton and Ellen — high school sweethearts who married in 2010 — are natives of Dallas and the parents of four children: Cali Ann, Charley, Cooper and Chance. 

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Carrying the unique spiritual burden of autism

(OPINION) Many modern churches may be weak when it comes to architecture and sacred art, but they almost always have concert-level lighting, sound and multimedia technology. But in a few sanctuaries linked to ancient traditions, worship leaders are trying something different. In some Eucharistic services, they are offering worshippers with autism an atmosphere that is more calm and less intense.

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Tim Keller’s Memorial Service A time to ‘thank god for his life’

(OPINION) Ask the average person what comes to mind when they think of a funeral, and I doubt they would use words like “encouraging” or “joyful.” Yet the memorial service for the Rev. Timothy Keller’s in New York could easily be called just that. The service was never one of pure grief.

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First Cohort of Medical Doctors Trained by Uganda’s Anglican Church In 140 Years Graduates

The first cohort of 44 medical doctors trained by the Anglican Church of Uganda in its history spanning over 140 years has graduated, marking a milestone in the church’s history of training medical experts in the country. The doctors trained by Uganda Christian University graduated earlier this summer during a colorful ceremony.

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Kenya’s Oldest Anglican Cathedral Gets New Provost

The Rev. Evans Omollo has been installed as the provost of Kenya’s oldest Anglican house of worship. As the new head of All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi, the 45 year old takes over from the Rev. Sammy Wainaina, who is moving to the global Anglican Church headquarters in the United Kingdom as an advisor.

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Churches Flourish In One of Sweden’s Bible Button Cities By Caring For Neighbors

Some free churches in Sweden may be showing the way toward growth: Engagement with young families, engagement with seniors, engagement with neighbors and the world. The Church of Sweden hasn’t completely given up on this kind of engagement either. 

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Experience the Life of Jesus with ‘The Nazarene’ Exhibit: Authentic or Hoax?

While the 2,000-year-old ossuary is seemingly genuine, the underlying issue is whether its Paleo-Hebrew inscription is the real deal or a clever fake replete with ersatz patina that was planted to fool experts.

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Orthodoxy, Anarchism And AI: A Conversation With ChatGPT

The following is the result of the chat Religion Unplugged contributor Davor Dzalto had with ChatGPT on July 12, 2023, on the questions regarding Orthodoxy, anarchism and AI. The resulting Q&A is a fascinating journey into what artificial intelligence knows about faith, theology and religious practices.

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Anglican Church of Uganda in Battle Over Nullified Election and Infidelity

Over the last 10 years, the Anglican Church of Uganda has been rocked by a number of grinding legal battles pitting the flock against newly consecrated clergy. Nearly all four regions of Uganda have witnessed a legal battle in which Christians have challenged the process of electing their bishops. 

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