(ANALYSIS) "The only church that illuminates is a burning church,” one protester said, pictured with an altar in flames on a social media account. The recent arson on two Catholic churches in Santiago was not random but as much a referendum on the Catholic Church, where sexual abuse cases in Latin America are topped by only Mexico, as on the country’s constitution that sparked the protests against economic inequality.
Read MoreAs evangelical colleges grapple with partial reopenings this fall, reports indicate their COVID-19 infection rates remain low or in line with secular colleges and universities, despite concerns of religious gatherings indoors during the pandemic.
Read MoreNursing homes and independent living facilities are forced to make the best out of tough COVID-19 restrictions to protect their residents from the virus that’s swept through similar facilities. But many of the residents are fighting loneliness and isolation from their families that is just as foreboding.
Read MoreWhy a federal court has denied petitions from a Native American tribe to stop construction on land they claim their ancestors are buried, how two Chilean churches were set ablaze during protests against inequality and the latest world leader to demand a UN investigation of China’s abuses against Uighurs.
Read More(ANALYSIS) At a time of tense China-India relations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliates are advancing the Hindu nationalist agenda in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other hubs of Indian diaspora in East Asia.
Read MoreAmerican third parties like the American Solidarity Party are enjoying a wave of interest this election as voters become more frustrated by the two-party system and choosing between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. In a political climate where Christians often find it impossible to cast a vote without compromising at least a few of their religious convictions, the ASP hopes to convince them that they can be the answer.
Read MoreA delay in the burial of a prominent Ugandan politician has divided the country’s Muslim community, with many arguing that burial must take place within 24 hours despite relatives needing to travel from abroad during a pandemic.
Read MoreDespite a conflict with church law, a growing number of priests in Uganda are running for political office ahead of general elections in February. Many Christians in Uganda are dissatisfied with the current government’s protections for religious freedom.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What was a nominally a little-known conflict regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region — also known as Artsakh — claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan has erupted into a full-scale war with an estimated thousands of soldiers on both sides killed in intense fighting.
Read MoreMany are tracking the way religious voters will vote in the upcoming election. Pew Research has published new data and analysis of these groups, noting that White Christians still lean toward Trump. They also offer analysis of the way religion has impacted past voting and approval ratings of President Trump.
Read MoreDubbed Not Our Faith, the PAC’s leaders include Billy Graham’s granddaughter Jerushah Duford and former aides and advisors from both sides of the aisle. The leaders of the PAC argued Thursday that Trump has denigrated the Christian faith and harmed migrants and refugees.
Read MoreWhen public schools in Alaska’s capital of Juneau moved to virtual classes because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some students were unable to access their schools. The Juneau Church of Christ opened its annex building to provide Wi-Fi and tutoring for Glacier Valley students, who are required to wear masks and maintain 6 feet of social distance.
Read More(ANALYSIS) QAnon is one of the most talked about groups populating the internet. Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms continue to ban users and groups from their platform for spreading QAnon ideals, which they have labeled as violating their policies on hate speech. What does the group actually believe? Are they a threat to you or our country? And why are evangelical Christians so often associated with the group?
Read MoreZen, who recently returned to Hong Kong from a trip to the Vatican, has no higher authority on Earth to appeal to in his fight to save his country’s church from infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party.
Read MoreBart Weetjens believes training CEOs and entrepreneurs to connect with something in the universe bigger than the bottom line will make them better and happier human beings who will then create happier, more compassionate employees, too. His own study of Zen Buddhism led him to create and sustain a successful landmine clearance project across Asia, using trained rats.
Read More(OPINION) Richard Ostling commends journalists at Christianity Today and World for prioritizing truth over tribalism in the case of sexual assault claims against Ravi Zacharias. Both publications seek to prioritize the community over the reputation of the religion.
Read MoreVice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris had a brief spat Wednesday over attacks against Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s Catholic faith. Pence brought up Harris’s past remarks about “extreme” beliefs of the Catholic group Knights of Columbus while Harris assured listeners that as people of faith Biden and her would not knock anyone else for their faith.
Read MorePopular pilgrimage destinations like Jerusalem and Rome have seen a massive drop in religious travelers, especially during Passover, Easter and this past summer.
Read MoreIs religion a force in American life that pushes people to be more politically conservative or liberal? Do certain types of political partisans place a great emphasis on their spiritual life? Or do other competing identities seem to shape people more? The Democracy Fund made public a huge dataset of over 300,000 respondents and they asked them how important a number of identities were to them. When those are broken down by party affiliation, the results are fascinating.
Read MoreIn his newly released encyclical, Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis addresses the whole world as his audience, attempting to answer how modern society can correct course towards a kinder and more loving world. The pope’s third encyclical has ruffled some Catholics for its condemnation of profit-driven economic models, the death penalty, immigration policy and more.
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