As greater numbers of Muslims in the West seek Islamic communities outside local mosques, the new website Imam Connect aims to connect the so-called “unmosqued” to Islamic services they want, from match making to art lessons, counseling and funeral and wedding rituals.
Read MoreProminent evangelicals Francis Chan, John MacArthur, Sam Rodriguez, Andy Stanley and religious freedom experts weighed in on how churches should navigate changing COVID-19 guidelines that some say unfairly target houses of worship.
Read MoreThese evangelical women say their faith called them to action to help end child-family separations of migrant families in immigration detention. The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for some to engage with legislators in the nation’s capital via Zoom.
Read MoreOver the weekend Indian security forces fired iron pellets into a peaceful Muslim procession in Kashmir that included children, citing the pandemic restrictions on large gatherings even though several Hindu pilgrimages have been allowed to continue. Although pellet fire has been used to quell political protests, this is the first time the government has used the condemned use of pellet fire on the Shia Muslim Muharram procession.
Read MoreThe Sing! Conference kicks off Sunday, Aug. 30 and ends Wednesday, Sept. 2. The worship conference aims to help local churches adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and help their congregations connect with God through music.
Read MoreThousands gathered Friday for the March on Washington 57 years after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech to condemn police brutality against Black Americans in the wake of Jacob Blake’s shooting this week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others.
Read MoreThe Republican National Convention ended with a bang, literally, as fireworks lit up Washington to blasts of ‘God Bless America’ and ‘Hallelujah.’ President Trump talked about American exceptionalism and the God-given right to life of the unborn in his nomination speech. Franklin Graham, criminal justice reformer Alice Johnson, her life sentence in prison pardoned by Trump, and Carl and Marsha Mueller, whose daughter Kayla was killed by ISIS, also spoke.
Read MoreThe third night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) opened with a prayer from Rabbi Shubert Spero and included White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Catholic nun Deirdre Byrne, a mother whose doctor told her to abort her son with Down Syndrome and former NFL player Jack Brewer all discussing their faith in God, and in Trump to keep his promises.
Read MoreAfter Jerry Falwell Jr’s resignation this week, Liberty University alums say removing the university’s president is only a partial victory and that the board must allow independent investigators to reform the largest evangelical university in the U.S. Religion Unplugged’s sources also indicate that another major revelation is expected to come from Liberty this week.
Read MoreThe second night of the Republican National Convention featured Billy Graham’s granddaughter Cissie Graham Lynch, a prisoner turned criminal justice reformer Jon Ponder, Pastor Norma Urrabazo of Las Vegas, former Covington Catholic high school student Nick Sandmann and First Lady Melania Trump.
Read MoreLiberty University accepted Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation from his leadership roles at the university after reports that he participated in his wife’s affair with a pool boy turned business partner and family friend. From a family of preachers, Falwell became known in recent years for his outspoken endorsement of President Trump and a series of financial and sexual scandals. Here’s the background.
Read MoreThe Catholic Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan opened the Republican National Convention with a prayer for Americans, the elections, and specifically the unborn and the police during civil unrest over police brutality and racism.
Read MoreJerry Falwell Jr. says his wife Becki had an affair with a pool attendant who had become a family friend and that the strain of keeping the affair secret as the man pressed the Falwells for money to stay silent has made him depressed. Falwell was recently removed from leadership at Liberty University after a party photo showed him in unzipped pants with a woman who wasn’t his wife.
Read MoreIn Kenya, vital Islamic pre-burial rituals are prohibited during the coronavirus pandemic. Muslim scholars say such restrictions are justified, but that doesn’t make the pandemic easier.
Read MoreSchools are working to be “COVID compliant,” as they find the best way to reopen safely for students. Jewish HomeLife will be providing COVID testing to all Jewish day schools and other programs in the Atlanta area.
Read MoreWhile most California churches remain closed after a spike in COVID-19 cases and a reversal of reopening plans, most beaches remain open with few restrictions. Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch, remains closed to in-person services, but its “surfer ministry” resumed operations at the beginning of August largely unhindered.
Read MoreAs Jewish High Holy Days approach in September, rabbis are forced to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time of reflection on God’s judgement and redemption. “Do I really believe that God will choose to spare me from, and others will die by, fire, famine or COVID-19?” one rabbi asks.
Read MoreDuring the pandemic, online activity has soared. A niche of podcasts for LGBTQ people interested in religion and spirituality have captured some of that growth, establishing themselves in the podcast market.
Read MoreThe Democratic National Convention kicked off the week with a Sunday interfaith service featuring many different religious leaders but no Catholics, though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden identifies with Catholicism. On Thursday, Father James Martin, a Catholic priest known for his work to advance LGBTQ acceptance in the church, is expected to speak and include pro-life views. Sister Simone Campbell, a progressive nun and friend of Biden’s, is also expected to speak.
Read MoreIndia’s recent rise in Hindu nationalism can be seen playing out in multi-million-dollar projects funded by both government and private donations to build some of the world’s tallest statues of Hindu heroes, including not just an independence leader and Hindu gods but also a Hindu warrior king who defeated Muslim forces.
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