The line into one of the stadiums at Tokyo’s Komazawa Olympic Park stretched out the door and down the street. The crowd waited patiently in the crisp fall air for a chance to watch the volleyball semifinals at Deaflympics, a worldwide event that brings deaf athletes together to compete every four years.
Read MoreWhen Western Christian missionaries arrived in Africa in the 19th century, they disallowed the use of native musical instruments in church, which they associated with demonic worship. But now, all these years later, the instruments are making a comeback in churches across the continent to the delight of millions.
Read MoreOn the same day the breakfast concluded, a local news outlet reported that two Armenian opposition podcasters had been placed in pre-trial detention. Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, co-hosts of the “Imnemnimi” podcast, had been arrested over comments made in a Nov. 10 episode about National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.
Read MoreAt a Delhi temple, Afghan Sikhs gather in prayer, their voices rising in unison, yet their hearts weighed down with longing for a homeland they were forced to leave. Among them is Daya Singh. He fled Afghanistan twice — first in 1992 when the Taliban seized control, and again in 2006 after facing persecution for being Sikh.
Read MoreThe U.S. designation of Nigeria as an egregious violator of religious freedoms has not gone far enough to stem violence there, top persecution watchdogs said amid an intense uptick in attacks on Christians in the African nation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention. The emphasis on the Pilgrims’ 1620 landing and 1621 feast erased a great deal of religious history and narrowed conceptions of who belongs in America — at times excluding groups such as Native Americans, Catholics and Jews.
Read MoreBenevolence ministry never slows down, but it picks up during the holidays. For it to truly be successful, benevolence must also be ongoing. It may begin with a phone call, but it doesn’t stop there.
Read MoreOver the course of about 20 years, Clint Massie had, according to court documents and by his own admission, sexually abused children within the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minn. His abuse was such an open secret among the tight-knit congregation that mothers warned their daughters to stay away from him.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Israel’s chief rabbis — known as the Rabbinate and the top authority for the country’s Orthodox institutions — do not recognize women as rabbis or permit their ordination. A big change came this year when Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled women must be allowed to take the exams.
Read MoreA federal judge ordered 14 Texas school districts to remove Ten Commandments displays from classrooms by Dec. 1, ruling unconstitutional a new state law that has required the displays since September.
Read MoreThe heads of OU Kosher, Star-K and OK Kosher — three of the five major certification agencies — announced this month that all beer will soon require certification to be considered kosher, attributing the change to the increased use of flavoring and other additives in craft beers.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For Orthodox Christians in America, the 20th century was shaped by waves of believers fleeing wars, revolutions and persecution in lands such as Greece, Syria, Russia and Romania. These days, the catechumenate class numbers are staggering. While some Orthodox parishes are shrinking, many clergy are struggling to handle congregations that have doubled or tripled in size.
Read MoreItaly’s Supreme Court ruled that an evangelical worship space, which is located in a former shop a short distance from the Vatican, does not qualify as a religious edifice due to its non-traditional appearance.
Read MoreFor more than a decade, Hindu businessman Balwant Rathore and his Muslim partner Mohammad Harun have run their shop together. Then, without warning, they were told to vacate their shop. Blaming “Love Jihad”, a Hindu nationalist leader’s son ordered Muslims to leave the market.
Read MoreBroadly, the three nations persistently harass religious communities through surveillance, threats of imprisonment, arbitrary detentions and arrests, control of religious messages including sermons and public attacks. The nations enact laws that unjustly restrict the activities and legal status of religious groups; practice favoritism in attempts to control messaging and deny religious freedom to prisoners.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Students’ sense of religious and spiritual belonging comes from everyday relationships — authentic connections and conversations that faculty and staff can help foster. I believe universities can create an environment where all students, including religious minorities, feel seen, accepted and appreciated.
Read MoreHundreds of Christians from various churches in South Africa came together recently to march to the Union Buildings, the seat of the national government, to protest the establishment of a statutory regulatory body that they say is a violation of their right to freedom of religion. It came after the government passed a law regulating the activities of churches.
Read MoreDespite the weather that hinted of the winter to come, nearly 8,000 people streamed inside the Wolverines’ basketball court that had been transformed after Friday night’s game into a “theater-in-the-round” with the stage at center court. Still more people were said to be in a nearby overflow room, and 67 Utah churches live-screened the event.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Mamdani is America’s first high-profile Muslim office-holder. The campaign’s competing accusations of “antisemitism” versus “Islamophobia” raise obvious concerns for Muslims, and for Jews, for whom New York has long been the most important town west of Tel Aviv. Signals are mixed on whether the Mamdani era will improve, or worsen, relations between these communities.
Read MoreTheir historic building awaiting sale just a block away, former members of the Central Church of Christ gathered with guests including singer Amy Grant at a downtown campus of Lipscomb University to celebrate what would have been their congregation’s 100th anniversary.
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