This week’s Weekend Plug-in summary reflects on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Houses of worship own billions worth of empty, deteriorating or underused real estate. Some local governments and denominations are moving to carve it into badly needed housing, but there are plenty of obstacles.
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A 9-year-old Afghan girl inspired a retired U.S. Air Force general and his wife to fight for her people with schools, clinics and boots.
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Unidentified gunmen recently ambushed a van carrying Catholic pilgrims along a highway in eastern South Sudan, killing five people, including two Catholic nuns. The attack is only the latest to highlight the dangers faced by faith leaders trying to usher in reconciliation after civil war and aiding a humanitarian crisis.
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Safe Families for Children, a national nonprofit that markets itself to churches and evangelical donors as a faith-based alternative to foster care, is losing some of its 100 local chapters that are starting new, independent groups to work only with traditional heterosexual couples.
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(ANALYSIS) The Texas abortion law could affect the religious liberties of those providing pastoral care for women considering abortion or Jews who, in accordance with Jewish teaching, seek an abortion to save the life of the mother.
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Officials are threatening Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko and other members of New Life Pentecostal Church in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, with administrative and criminal charges for continuing to hold meetings for worship in the open air in the church’s car park.
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The Category 4 storm downed power lines and tore roofs from buildings, including the meeting places of at least two Churches of Christ, and caused damage across the city.
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A state government in North India known for its Hindu-first moves is increasing its number of “anti-terrorism squads” in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a Muslim member of parliament appeared to support the Taliban on social media, sparking online harassment against Muslims.
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Executive Editor Paul Glader interviews Fernando Arroyo about his time as a soldier in Afghanistan, dealing with the trauma of war, the loss of friends and what rehabilitation can look like at the Orange County Rescue Mission after the 20-year conflict.
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Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims in Russia jailed on "extremism"-related charges for exercising freedom of religion or belief face years of restrictions and stigma after the sentence ends, including blocked bank accounts, restricted movement and voting rights, harsher penalties for another offense and more. This means that the religious lives, health, reputations and finances – of people who have not engaged in any violent activity or infringed upon the human rights of others – could be adversely affected for well over a decade.
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Hot off the success of its second season, Jesus series “The Chosen” is inviting fans to be in the crowd of 5,000 Jesus miraculously feeds in the third season’s adaptation of the gospels. Fans shouldn’t expect to spend time with Jesus for free, however.
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In hard-hit Waverly, Tenn., a town of 4,300 people near Nashville, 19 died and hundreds are displaced after historic flooding destroyed or damaged their homes Aug. 21. Donations continue to pour in as a church provides shelter to those in need.
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One of the families at the gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Thursday had gone there with papers John and Jan Bradley helped them acquire and a letter the retired Air Force general had written for them. As of late Thursday afternoon, the news from Afghanistan was not good. And not clear.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in starts with the deadly explosions that rocked the Kabul airport as the U.S. military attempts to evacuate thousands. Besides the Afghanistan news, catch up, as always, on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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After more than two decades struggling with a post-Soviet economic recession and destabilization brought on by war and anti-terrorist operations, Georgia’s Pankisi Valley is rebuilding its reputation and attracting tourists — enough to secure a coveted spot in the world’s most popular guidebook, “Lonely Planet,” in 2020.
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A fake online auction targeted Muslim women in India with derogatory language, harassment and rape threats. Muslim women activists who endure frequent cyber bullying from Hindu nationalist online trolls say it’s far from an isolated incident in India.
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(ANALYSIS) As scholars who research ethno-religious conflicts in South Asia, we have studied the origins of the Taliban’s religious beliefs. The roots of this ideology – Deobandi Islam – can be traced to 19th century colonial India.
Read MoreThe Pinewood Church of Christ in Nunnelly, Tenn., had to rebuild after devastating floods swamped the Volunteer State in May 2010. More than a decade later, a deluge again has ravaged the Hickman County congregation’s meeting place.
A displaced Kashmiri Hindu family talks to show host Harshita Rathore 30 years after fleeing anti-Hindu violence in India’s Muslim-majority Kashmir region, their ancestral home. This is the second episode in the docuseries “The Dinner Table” produced by Newsreel Asia in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.