(ANALYSIS) As a scholar of “Buddhist medicine,” I have studied the connections between Buddhism and well-being since the late 1990s. During the course of that research, I would periodically run into sources claiming that meditation could sometimes have unexpected or adverse health effects. When I discovered in 2020 that psychologists were beginning to document the same thing, I began to examine more systematically how Buddhist texts address this issue.
Read MoreActivist Malala Yousafzai returned to New York this week to discuss the paperback release of her memoir “Finding My Way” — but the conversation moved beyond her story of attending college and growing up. At the center was the issue that has defined much of Yousafzai’s public life: The Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women and girls and its use of religion to justify restrictions on their rights.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Haverford, a small liberal arts college, has become the latest school to settle a lawsuit over how it handled antisemitism. Its president wrote that “students including those who identify as Jewish, and/or Israeli, and those who support Zionism: That is, the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and statehood in the land of Israel, are welcome and enjoy equal access to the College and all of its educational programs and activities.”
Read MoreNamed Protestant Accountability, the nonprofit database launched in August after merging with a similar resource, Baptist Accountability. Its mission is to reveal hidden abuse and misconduct and to “promote transparency, accountability and the protection of those at risk.”
Read MoreFor two weeks in September, everyone wants to be Italian — at least judging by the crowds at the annual Feast of San Gennaro in New York City’s Little Italy. Founded in 1926, the largest and longest-running Italian festival in the United States celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, with locals and tourists alike descending upon Mulberry Street in Manhattan to celebrate Italian American culture.
Read MoreAM radio, an important frequency for Christian programming broadcasts, would be required in new cars manufactured for 10 years under a bill the U.S. House passed late Sept. 15.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Obviously, Baptists pay close attention to baptism statistics, along with trends on church attendance and membership. In a new report, Lifeway dug into Southern Baptist Convention Annual Church Profile numbers for 2025 and reported that baptisms rose for the fifth consecutive year. Baptist leaders quickly noted another current trend — adults 30 and older represented 33% of all baptisms.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Catholic church is far from perfect, but the more acceptable it becomes to ignore the Vatican, the easier it becomes to declare almost anything — opposing progressive politics, endorsing Christian nationalism or spreading antisemitism — to be part of Catholicism, no matter what the pope says.
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study of 1,000 evangelical and Black Protestant male churchgoers and 473 men’s ministry leaders highlighted the importance of dedicated men’s ministries.
Read MoreWalk along the River Thames, and you can encounter thousands of years of history through artifacts that wash ashore. Some “mudlarkers” spend significant time looking for the treasures — and now a nearby cathedral has named its first Mudlark-in-Residence to help visitors learn about the area’s history.
Read MoreMohler’s comments in the 2026 book “Five Views on Christian Nationalism,” which proved contentious, were based on the supposition of drafting a new constitution for a fractured nation in the year 2099.
Read More(OPINION) The complexities of Jewish-American identity don’t fit in compartmentalized racial binaries. Jewish identity is inherited, interpreted, and observed differently on an individual-to-individual basis. While heritage and ancestry are certainly technical aspects of Jewish identity, there are several contemporary instances that complicate its resonance.
Read MoreThey wear head coverings, and the women are expected to homeschool their children, but this Boston-based Mennonite group is made up of doctors and led by the founder of a $1.7 billion investment firm. They defy expectations in other ways: They are prohibited from voting or holding political office, but many joined protests against ICE.
Read MoreChristian K-12 schools across the country are benefiting from government-funded scholarship and voucher programs. North Carolina is a clear example. The state’s program, established in 2013 for low-income families, was expanded in 2023, raising its income eligibility requirements and removing the previous rule that recipients must have already attended public school.
Read MoreHigher education has fallen on hard times. The number of students in the U.S. enrolled in educational institutions beyond high school peaked at 29.5 million in 2010-11 before a gradual decline to 25.6 million in 2023-24, according to data compiled by the U.S. government.
Read MoreThe milestone anniversary brought with it memorial rituals — wreath-laying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime. For many, it was also an occasion for private reflection about the attack, when terrorists used four jetliners to kill nearly 3,000 people.
Read MoreClemente Lisi was a 26-year-old general assignment reporter for the New York Post on Sept. 11, 2001. “Every day you’d get up, and you didn’t know what you were gonna do,” said Lisi, now Religion Unplugged’s executive editor. “One day it was covering a fire. The next day you’re covering a murder.” On that Tuesday, he was told that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Strip has not vanished, and its “Sin City” label remains relevant. The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported $8.82 billion in gross gaming revenue (what operators keep after payouts) for the Strip in 2025. But the world has changed. Researchers struggle to describe online gambling today — from $100 billion global GGR in 2023 to a Gaming Compliance International estimate of $5.9 trillion in unregulated activity.
Read MoreThese prisoners are not only eyewitnesses to what happened inside Iran’s prisons. They are also earwitnesses: people whose knowledge of imprisonment comes partly through what they heard when they could not see.
Read MoreDr. Charles Ramsey happened to be in Tehran when the country’s leader was in a helicopter crash and died. Soon, whisperings of ill intent began to emerge, and, of course, eyes fell on the American roaming around Iran. These days, he uses his experience to connect with international students at Baylor University.
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