(REVIEW) Popes are famous for many different things. In the case of John Paul I, he’s best known for being pope for just 33 days. Thanks to an Italian journalist, her access to never-before-seen Vatican documents and 2017 book (now available in English), the former pope could very well be on his way to being made a saint.
Read MoreThe pandemic amplified existing ministerial stress. An October poll by the Barna Group found that 38% of U.S. ministers had considered leaving full-time ministry within the past year — a 9% increase from a poll in January. Sabbaticals, extended time away to focus on spiritual growth, may be the key to avoiding burnout.
Read MoreThe late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu who changed the world through his message of truth and racial reconciliation will be buried in Cape Town on Jan. 1, 2022.
Read MoreThe Indian government blocked foreign donations to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity over the Christmas holiday, cutting off a major source of funding for the Roman Catholic organization that provides housing, food and medical care for thousands of poor, disabled and ill Indians.
Read MoreAllegations of sexual misconduct began surfacing against televangelist Perry Stone last year. But a few months later, Stone was back in the pulpit. Now, new accusations have been made public, and — according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press — the FBI has been questioning people in connection with Stone’s behavior.
Read MoreWhile the world continues to pay tribute to the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu — who fought against apartheid and brought racial reconciliation to South Africa — his spiritual son, business mogul and anti-apartheid activist Saki Macozoma fondly reflected with ReligionUnplugged.com on the special moments they shared.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As 2021 comes to a close, everyone is looking toward 2022. The news cycle over the last two years has been dominated by COVID-19, and that doesn’t seem to be subsiding given the rash of recent omicron infections. The Catholic world, meanwhile, had in 2021 one of its busiest years. Expect 2022 to be just as busy.
Read MoreTelevangelist and prosperity gospel preacher Kenneth Copeland, who is the leader of Eagle Mountain International Church in Tarrant County, Texas, has a reported net worth of $750 million. But because his $7 million mansion is considered a “parsonage” for the church under Texas Tax Code Sec. 11.20, the property is tax-exempt.
Read MoreIt was another tough year for many people around the planet. The pandemic, just as it seemed to be subsiding this fall, rages on thanks to the omicron variant. Aside from COVID-19, issues such as climate change and the plight of migrants continues to plague nations, and international conflicts continue to rattle millions around the globe.
Read MoreDesmond Tutu, who fought tirelessly for the end apartheid in his native South Africa and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, died Sunday at the age of 90. Religious and political leaders in his homeland and across the world sent stirring tributes in the hours following his death.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Dec. 31, people from cultures all around the world will be raising a toast to welcome in A.D. 2022. Few of them will think about the fact that A.D. signals “anno Domini,” Latin for “in the year of our Lord.” In A.D. temporality — the one acknowledged by most societies today — next year marks 2023 years since the purported birth of Jesus Christ.
Read MoreA church established by medical missionaries in Kashmir Valley in 1896 closed during the 1990s armed insurgency against Indian rule when its local staff of Indian Christians fled the region. But now, under the leadership of the tourism department three decades later, the church is being restored and reopened in time for Christmas.
Read MoreThe 2022 World Cup, which will be held in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, will test the majority-Muslim country in several ways — primarily when it comes to religious mores around public intoxication and homosexuality, both of which are illegal there.
Read MoreSupporting a full-time minister requires an average of 130 or more in worship, but 65% of American churches count an average of fewer than 100 in worship. So, from flight attendant to funeral director, secular jobs help pay the bills for bivocational ministers.
Read MoreAmid heightened needs of Afghan girls and women, ReligionUnplugged interviews Daisy Khan, one of the most prominent female Muslim leaders in the U.S., about her work leading the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality to advance the rights of women based on the spiritual principles’ integral to the Islamic faith.
Read MoreThe country responsible for the term “ethnic cleansing” can show off a respectable drop in religiously-motivated hate crimes over the last decade — at least on paper. But experts inside and outside Bosnia-Herzegovina say the IRC’s current numbers are misleading and the potential for conflict may be at an all-time high.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Of 71 countries that criminalize blasphemy, 32 are majority Muslim. Punishment and enforcement of these laws vary. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania and Saudi Arabia. Among non-Muslim-majority cases, the harshest laws are in Italy, with penalties up to three years in prison.
Read MoreTaga Jones’ home is one of hundreds destroyed by a rare December tornado that tore through four states — Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky — in four hours. It was part of a Dec. 10-11 outbreak in which more than 30 tornadoes were reported across six states.
Read MoreAt least 50 people are feared dead, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, after a devastating night of storms that stretched from Arkansas to Illinois.
Read MoreOn Nov. 29, the U.S. District Court in Kentucky entered judgments of nearly $4.7 million against Aliera, which marketed “sham policies” and “realized exorbitant profits” by declining to pay claims and instead retaining 84% of customer donations, in violation of federal requirements.
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