Breathing new life into Christianity in Sweden, the Orthodox Church is also a key hub for immigrants to learn Swedish language and become integrated into Swedish society.
Read MoreNikki and Louise Draven believe that the genitalia they possess is not determinant of them as persons. They have been recognized legally as the first gender-fluid family in Great Britain.
Read MoreA handful of American mainstream news outlets have picked up the story, but unlike their European counterparts, they chose not to reprint the cartoon.
Read More(OPINION) The Daily Telegraph has leapt into a dispute between two factions of a London church. Yet the journalistic shortcomings of this article turn it into a club for traditionalists to beat modernizers.
Read MoreCOMMENTARY -- Can a non-believer write religion news stories? Here is evidence that they can, and can do so with professional skill.
Read More(OPINION) A recent Pew Forum survey shows that the influence and practice of faith is slipping in lands long identified with Catholicism, those closest to the European West. Eastern Orthodoxy is rising, especially in lands in which faith and national identity blend. But the most stunning changes are happening in the Czech Republic.
Read MoreThe Independent's article on an Orthodox Jewish school lacking LGBT content in its curriculum is a fiasco, in terms of journalistic integrity.
Read MoreWhat comes first, advertising or content? This question loomed large in my mind as I read an article on exorcisms that the Daily Telegraph chose to sensationalize rather than report faithfully.
Read MorePERSPECTIVE - The Daily Mail, The Times, and other outlets report that claims that cutting government spending on sexual education would lead to a rise in teen pregnancy have now been shown to be untrue. Yet none bothers with issues of deeper ethical or religious motivations in the controversy.
Read MoreTwo rulings from the European Court of Justice permitting companies to prohibit religious clothing and symbols in the workplace has sparked condemnation from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim groups in Europe.
Read More(OPINION) Reports that Russians are calling for the restoration of the monarchy and the crowning of Vladimir Putin as Tsar are circulating -- all built on the traditional Western construct that the Russian mind is mysterious, sententious, or ludicrous.
Read MoreRaunch culture has spread to Britain from the U.S. as something perfectly normal. While the rest of us do not even notice, ordinary Muslims are angry and worried.
Read MoreA story in a local newspaper in the U.K. caught my eye this week, raising questions on the nature of truth and the craft of journalism.
Read MoreEaster is one of the silly seasons for the media. The holiday sees a spike in publication of religion-themed stories in the secular press -- often with uneven results.
Read MoreThe defeat of Jakarta’s Christian governor (Ahok) on April 19 after an ugly campaign featuring mass rallies by hardline Islamists and a trial for blasphemy revealed the extent to which Saudi-inspired Salafis have made inroads into Indonesia.
Read MoreSWEDEN -- For my countrymen and me, the first hour following the attacks in Stockholm's city center was full of anxiety and worry. Where were our loved ones? Were they safe? I soon learned that my son witnessed the aftermath.
Read More(OPINION) Beginning with the McMartin preschool case in 1984 when KABC trumpeted the news that the operators of a Manhattan Beach nursery school had ritually abused several dozen children, much of the media accepted without question fantastic claims brought by police, parents and prosecutors. This time around the press is doing a much better job.
Read MoreMANILA, Feb. 28 – “Now he’ll kill me,” were the final words uttered by 70-year old German hostage Jurgen Gustav Kantner before he was beheaded by a knife-wielding Abu Sayyaf terrorist on the island of Sulu in the southern Philippines on Monday.
Read MoreAn international exhibition about Anne Frank had already toured over 20 schools across Croatia when it ran into trouble last month in the coastal city of Sibenik, spotlighting the nation's struggle to resolve its dark World War Two past.
Read MoreGood religion stories find their way out into the open every year, but these reports are rarely the final word. There is always more to be said about the big religion stories of the day.
Read More