Megachurch pastor Brian Gibson of His Churches announced this week that his church would reopen services at three of his four locations across Texas and Kentucky on May 17 and asked other religious leaders to join him in standing up for what he sees as a religious freedom concern during COVID-19 restrictions.
Read MoreAs COVID-19 locks people in their homes and has put others out of work, more people than ever are relying on charities, many faith-based, to fill basic needs. Tree of Life, based in Virginia, has seen a rise in demand from undocumented persons.
Read MoreThere were more incidents of anti-Semitism in the U.S. in 2019 than in any year since the Anti-Defamation League started tracking them in 1979, according to a report released this week by the group.
Read MoreAn army of locusts has invaded in the midst of COVID-19. Churches of Christ and relief ministries prepare for the region’s next pandemic — hunger.
Read MoreThe arrests of several Muslim activists amid the coronavirus lockdown is seen by critics of the Modi government as a way to blame Muslims for the Delhi riots that killed more than 50 people in February and squash protests of a citizenship law passed in December seen as discriminatory against Muslims.
Read MoreThe reason for the cuts appears to be more related to falling enrollment after the Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr.’s support for President Donald Trump than the economic impacts of the coronavirus.
Read MoreThanks to geographic isolation, decisive leadership and some luck, New Zealand has so far deflected a COVID-19 crisis. Church leaders in the island’s Māori and Pacific Islander communities have been key to this success, at times ahead of the government response while caring for the vulnerable in their flocks.
Read MoreSince GOD TV launched its Hebrew-language Shelanu Television on April 29, the international Christian media network has sparked an uproar in Israel over the clash between media freedom and the state’s concerns about missionary activity.
Read MoreTwo separate studies were published recently about how lower mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to more premature death. While one study estimates 75,000 Americans are at risk of dying by suicide, another finds that regular religious services attendance lessens the likelihood of a fatal mental health illness.
Read More(REVIEW) The church was planned to open May 9 on the 75th anniversary of Russia’s “Victory Day” celebrating the Nazi surrender and end of WWII but postponed during the coronavirus pandemic. The church’s architecture resembles military missiles, iron steps are forged from melted German weapons, and figures like Stalin, responsible for murders of thousands of faithful and clergy, were originally planned to feature inside the sanctuary alongside saints.
Read MoreOn this day for 68 years, tens of thousands of Americans, evangelicals in particular, have gathered in public places and churches to pray for their leaders and their communities. This year for the first time, many hosts have canceled the event or shifted online, which has encouraged other Christian denominations and even other faith groups to join or organize parallel events.
Read MoreSpray nozzles called bum guns, water pots called lotas in South Asia and bidets have been keeping behinds clean for many years without toilet paper, in line with Islamic and Hindu texts urging purification of the body with water.
Read MoreThe fight is the latest salvo in the ongoing war between traditional forces within American Catholicism and the LGBTQ community trying to push the church to more progressive positions on an array of social issues. The Catholic church considers sexual activity between members of the same sex to be a sin.
Read MoreCohen, an 11th grader, beat 72 teenagers from 41 countries. The 14-18-year-old contestants competed remotely from their home countries. The event, broadcast on Israeli state TV, also sparked some controversy this year.
Read MoreInstitutes for training imams are common across Africa, but the Rabat-based Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams stands out because it welcomes female students to become spiritual guides. Since the late-1990s, Morocco has promoted moderate Islam to push back against radicalism at home and as an antidote to the Wahhabi tradition of Saudi Arabia with its links to Salafi jihadism. Morroco’s King Mohammed VI believes women are part of the solution.
Read MoreThe coronavirus pandemic has confronted ministries with an unprecedented triple whammy: declining donations, unexpected expenses for sanitation and remaking workplaces for remote employees, and challenges in delivering their services, some of which are more needed now.
Read MoreOn April 24, the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims welcomed their most important holiday with the appearance of the new moon. Usually, they would spend 30 days fasting, studying the Quran and enjoying celebratory “iftars,” evening meals with tables full of food and homes full of family and friends. This year, none of that is happening in the usual ways.
Read MoreFor Holocaust survivors, including some who later lived under Communist rule, COVID-19 has brought a mixed bag of old traumas sparked anew, depression and anxiety, isolation and fear, but also reminders of the traits that sustained them through difficult periods in their lives.
Read MoreA neighbor of the field hospital and an area activist had sharply different reactions to Franklin Graham’s organization setting up an emergency medical facility in Central Park.
Read MoreAs lockdowns largely halt the economy, small businesses are bracing for the worst. A creative church on the East coast and a faith-based rehabilitation center on the West coast have found ways to boost local business in their COVID-19 relief efforts.
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