Mask mandates are receding, COVID-19 cases are declining, and more houses of worship are going back to normal — holding in-person services once again. But attendance at those in-person services has not risen over the past six months, a new report by Pew Research finds.
Read MoreThe pastor of a New Hampshire church has been removed from his duties after being charged with possession of child pornography, but conditions of his bail require that he continue living at the church.
Read MoreFolk and rock anthems in response to the Russian invasion have created an air of nationalism and unity among Ukrainians. Besides the explicit protest in their lyrics, they recall other historical periods of conflict in the country.
Read MoreA new project by evangelicals, for evangelicals aims to persuade those on the fence about vaccination to go ahead and get the shots and equip church leaders to lead fact-based discussions while appealing to biblical values.
Read MoreThe University of Oregon plans to purchase the former Portland campus of Concordia University for $60.5 million and build a children’s behavioral health institute on the 13-acre site, funded by a $425 million gift from former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, who is a University of Oregon graduate.
Read MoreOn March 11, President Ilham Aliyev signed further religion law amendments handing responsibility for naming prayer leaders in all mosques from the Caucasian Muslim Board to the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations.
Read MoreLithuania’s Hill of Crosses, where many visitors have left crosses to honor soldiers who died in uprisings against czarist Russia, has become a site to pray for Ukraine. The history of the Hill of Crosses is unclear. Folklore says the first cross was placed on the hill, formerly the home of a wooden castle, to remind others to pray for mercy and health of people. Soon, crosses began appearing to honor soldiers who died fighting against Russia, which disapproved and repeatedly demolished them.
Read MoreAs Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, many American Christians are trying to help in any way they can, whether through prayer, donations or housing refugees. There is a tremendous amount of care and concern for Ukrainians — and a desire to do something.
Read MoreHoli is one of Hinduism’s major festivals celebrating new seasons and joy with colorful powders, bonfires, sweets, singing and dancing. This year Holi falls on March 18.
Read MoreOn March 10, a court fined the Rev. Ioann Burdin of the Moscow Patriarchate's Kostroma Diocese one month's average local wages for online remarks and a Sunday sermon in church condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and stressing the importance of the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Read MorePope Francis — in a private video call on March 16 with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church — said religious leaders “must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus.” Francis’ remarks to Patriarch Kirill, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, were the latest in a series of moves to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Read MoreMulti-Faith Neighbors Network was co-founded by a Christian pastor, a Muslim imam and a Jewish rabbi to promote international religious freedom and increase cooperation and understanding between the Abrahamic faiths. The friendship between co-founders Bob Roberts Jr., an evangelical pastor in Texas, and Mohamad Magid, an imam in Virginia, illustrates that mission. “Imam Magid is literally one of the best friends I have on the face of the earth,” Roberts said. “I’d rather hang out with him than most Christians I know.”
Read MoreAlabama minister Mark Posey was preaching the gospel in Ukraine when Russia began its latest incursion into the former Soviet nation. “If we wait for ideal circumstances, then we’ll never go anywhere or do anything,” he said in an interview, now back home in North Alabama.
Read MoreOn March 15 an Indian court upheld a state “hijab ban” that prevents Muslim girls from wearing the head covering at schools. The ruling could set a precedent for other states governed by the ruling Hindu-first Bharatiya Janata Party.
Read MoreA former member of John MacArthur’s megachurch says she was publicly shamed by the pastor in 2002 for her decision to leave her abusive husband and defy church counsel, according to The Roys Report. MacArthur told his congregation it was necessary for him to call out Eileen Gray, who had rejected church elders’ direction to reconcile.
Read MoreElection results in India show a crushing defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the northern farming state of Punjab, the heart of Sikhism, after a surge of anti-Sikhism among the right-wing. The Hindu-first BJP needed support from Sikhs in the state but only bagged two seats out of 117 in the state’s legislative assembly.
Read MoreAs the pandemic enters its third year, more churches are having to weigh the costs and benefits of online versus in-person worship. While most will not choose to become fully virtual, the dramatic shifts brought on by COVID-19 restrictions are forcing nearly existential questions about the nature of worship and the purpose of community.
Read MoreFighting has intensified in eastern Ukrainian cities near the separatist-held regions. Meanwhile, Christians take supplies to congregations in these hard-hit cities. They plan to help churches set up bomb shelters and deliver aid. They also plan to bring refugees back with them.
Read More(REVIEW) Museum goers are challenged to “transform” their emotions at the Rubin Museum of Art’s latest exhibit, “Mandala Lab.” It aims for those who complete the interactions to leave with a greater awareness of their emotions and a new understanding of how Buddhism and its art, used as sacred tools, can improve one’s everyday life.
Read MoreWhen government officials demolished a makeshift mosque last summer as part of an anti-encroachment drive to clear land settled by refugees and migrant workers, the Rohingya community in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar neighborhood mourned the loss of not only tents and homes along the polluted riverbank but also its place of worship.
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