Posts in News
Scandal-Plagued Truett McConnell University Taps Larry Lyon As President

Larry Lyon, a Southern Baptist educator who oversees the business side of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, will become the next Truett McConnell University president, the school said Monday.  The appointment comes a little more than four months after Truett McConnell University (TMU) trustees fired longtime president Emir Caner.  

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Patriots vs. Seahawks: 3 Faith Storylines To Follow During Super Bowl LX

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the focus is fixed on the New England Patriot and Seattle Seahawks. Beyond the game, the Super Bowl is a cultural touchpoint. Watched by millions, it remains the most-viewed event on American TV. While commercials and the halftime show are all big draws, faith once again plays a part in the biggest football game of the year.

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Enslaved To Ordained: ‘Father Gus’ Belongs At The Center Of Black History Month

Born enslaved, rejected by U.S. seminaries and ordained in Rome, Augustus Tolton became the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in America. His life exposes the Church’s history of racial exclusion while offering a powerful example of perseverance, faith, and legacy — one now recognized in his path toward sainthood.

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Why Forgiveness Doesn’t Always Mean Reconciliation

(ANALYSIS) Two in five Americans have fought with a family member about politics, according to a 2024 study by the American Psychiatric Association. One in five have become estranged over controversial issues, and the same percentage has “blocked a family member on social media or skipped a family event” due to disagreements.

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‘Unmistakable Spiritual Impression’: Buddhist Monks Walk For Peace

(OPINION) What we are witnessing is not politics or social protest. Not public policy or propaganda. It is virtue made visible. Peace practiced rather than pronounced. Compassion offered without condition or agenda. Perhaps we need to wait and see what fruit this pilgrimage bears. Perhaps God is at work here, walking slowly among us.

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Reformed Presbyterians Excommunicate ‘White Supremacist Minister’

Delegates from 17 congregations of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America heard five hours of argument in a church outside of Pittsburgh on Jan. 24. They determined Samuel Ketcham, a self-described “race realist” who says white supremacy is a historical fact, is guilty of “serious sin … and to the profession of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.”

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Pastor Searches For Missing Congregant, Then Learns He Was Taken By ICE Officers

On Jan. 22, pastor Carlos Nzolameso received a call from a member of his congregation who was searching for a roommate. Evaristo Kalonji had not shown up to work. Several congregants also reached out to Nzolameso, concerned that Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola, was missing. Nzolameso, who leads Maine’s Rehoboth Christian Church, said Kalonji, is like a son. 

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John L. Allen Jr., Catholic Journalism’s Balancing Act, Leaves A Lasting Void

Allen was a journalist who was a Catholic and an active Catholic who was a real journalist, and he fought to balance that equation in his daily reporting. His death on Jan. 22, after a long battle with cancer, left a strategic hole in Catholic life.

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Why Ideology, Not Faith, Drives The Culture War

(ANALYSIS) Beyond the debate over who is polarized in the U.S., there’s an adjacent, and perhaps more critical, discussion I want to tackle today: What drives polarized views? There is ample reason to think that religiosity impacts views on topics like abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender identity.

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Amid Stunning Landscapes, A Monk, Zen Priest And Muslim Leader Feel At Home

(ESSAY) Flee the clamor of urban life, and take a drive through this beautiful desert and wilderness area. Meet three faith leaders who found the solitude and peace they were looking for — and who ultimately made this stunning landscape their home. Across New Mexico, religious communities locate themselves in remote areas in order to gain solitude and silence.

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Court Filing Shows Worshippers ‘Terrorized’ During Anti-ICE Protest

An affidavit describes how protesters disrupted a Jan. 18 service at Minneapolis’ Cities Church, frightening worshippers, blocking parents from children, and forcing families to flee. Federal agents say organizers targeted the church over alleged ICE ties, leading to arrests and civil rights conspiracy charges under an 1871 federal law statute.

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Maine Is One Of The Least Religious US States: What The Data Shows

When the Pew Research Center asked Mainers what religions they followed, the most common answer wasn’t Catholicism or Evangelical Protestantism. It was “nothing in particular.”  But there’s more to the story.

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Child Sexual Abuse Alleged In Assemblies Of God Royal Rangers Program

Travis Reger claims he was abused in 1984 at the age of 10 by a leader in the Royal Rangers at Albany First Assembly of God church in Oregon. Although he says his father confronted the pastor, Stan Baker, about the leader’s behavior, nothing happened. The leader was convicted in 1988 for abusing two other boys.

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Minnesota Churches Pray For Peace After Fatal ICE Shootings

Since December, the Department of Homeland Security has deployed about 3,000 federal agents to the state where Minnesotas’s Tim Walz — the 2024 running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — serves as governor. Over that time, ICE agents have killed two people, unleashing violence and protests across Minneapolis.

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Study Shows Discipleship Deficit Exists Among US Churchgoers

In the second half of the State of Discipleship study, Lifeway Research studied churchgoers’ levels of discipleship by asking dozens of questions related to Christian doctrine and practice. Analysis of their answers reveals eight characteristics that are consistently present in the lives of believers who are progressing in their spiritual maturity.

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Iran Survives The Uprising — But The Islamic Republic Is Hollowing Out From Within

(ANALYSIS) You’ve seen the headlines about Iran’s uprising, but there is a deeper story: Two-thirds of the nation’s mosques, 50,000 out of 75,000, have been closed due to declining worship attendance, according to a high-ranking cleric. What does that mean for Iran and for Islam?

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‘Bring Them Hope’: Christian Missionaries Use The Pigskin To Help Others In Belfast

It all began on a sunny day at a local park. missionaries Russell and Tori Minnick were watching their kids have fun on a playground when, at the far end of a field, a group of men were running routes and huddling over playbooks. Both men could tell they were practicing American football, so he made an inquiry.

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Why The Father Of Psychology Refused To Dismiss God’s Existence

(ANALYSIS) William James is remembered as the father of American psychology. But for many believers, he holds a different place altogether. He stands as one of the rare modern thinkers who refused to mock faith. He didn’t preach religion, and he certainly didn’t try to dress it up in academic jargon. Instead, he studied it with care, reverence and genuine respect.

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