(OPINION) The Thanksgiving meal in 1621 between the Pilgrims and Native Americans in Massachusetts may not have been the first of its kind. Some historians say the first meal has a connection to Catholicism and that it took place more than 50 years earlier in Florida.
Read MoreDeeply stirring documentary “Emanuel” about the 2015 Charleston Church shooting, directed by Brian Ivie, unearths a hidden parallel tale of living amidst hate. The film, which premiered on November 14 at the New York Documentary Festival, shows how one community chose to respond to tragedy with forgiveness.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Marvel Comics’ creative genius Stan Lee revolutionized the comic book world with super-heroes who were flawed, insecure and prone to evil forces. What’s lesser known or asked is where Lee’s storytelling perspective came from and how his mix of religious beliefs informed the Marvel universe.
Read More(COMMENTARY) University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson answers critics, the faithful and seekers in between on his popular Youtube channel. Peterson has sent mixed signals about Christianity.
Read MoreAfter the unprecedented acquittal of a Christian from blasphemy charges, Pakistan is bowing to pressure from hardline Islamist groups to ban her exit from the Muslim-majority country.
Read More(COMMENTARY) The Religion Guy answers whether evangelical and charismatic Christians can worship together.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Pope John Paul II believed his and former US President Reagan’s survivals of shootings were part of a divine plan countering evil in Russia.
Read MoreReligion scholars will meet Nov. 17-20 in Denver for simultaneous conventions of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the professional counterpart for Scripture specialists, the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).
Read MoreA Saturday morning in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh normally involves joggers on their way to Schenley Park, hipsters going for brunch and Jews walking to one of a dozen local synagogues.
Read More(COMMENTARY) The New York Times reported this week that the Donald Trump Administration is considering, for federal purposes, a definition that a person is male or female “based on immutable biological traits identified by or before birth,” supplemented if necessary by genetic testing. That would overturn a policy under President Barack Obama to recognize transgender identities.
Read More(COMMENTARY) In the current news theory of everything, few numbers in American political life have received more attention than this one – 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016. Politicos have paid less attention to signs that many evangelicals cast those votes with reluctance, and some with a sense of dread.
Read MoreAuthor and scientist Michael Guillen warns that scientists are working to resurrect extinct species and robots have made leaps and bounds. He says Christians must take this opportunity to provide wisdom to a world so obsessed with scientific progress without considering the ramifications.
Read More(COMMENTARY) While it's common to believe that religion evolves slowly over time, in a linear manner, the evidence suggests that history lurches through periods of "extreme, rapid, revolutionary change, when everything is shaken and thrown up into the air," said historian Philip Jenkins. Ever 50 years or so, new patterns and cultural norms seem to appear that never could have been predicted.
Read More(COMMENTARY) On Election Day 2018, we can expect black Protestants, Latino Catholics and Jews will join the “nones” as solidly Democratic while Mormons plus evangelical Protestants go Republican. More interesting two big blocs of religious swing voters - Non-Hispanic Catholics and white “mainline” Protestants - each have a negative view of President Trump at 52 percent, roughly tracking his standing with the over-all public.
Read MoreTMP’s flagship Coaching & Leadership Fellowship program just wrapped up in St. Petersburg, Fla., where we hosted a week-long workshop Oct. 7-13 at the Poynter Institute. Fellows participated in a series of interactive sessions on leadership principles they can use in their newsrooms. strategic thinking, global fact-checking, social media, coaching writers, using feedback, resolving conflict, and improving newsroom collaboration.
Read More(COMMENTARY) The venerable Mormon Tabernacle Choir has announced that it is now named “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.” Reason: President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has declared that “the importance of the name” that God “revealed for His Church,” means believers and outsiders must drop “Mormon” and use that full nine-word name.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Theodore McCarrick has become the iconic figure at the heart of the latest round of Catholic clergy sex scandals. Here in America, the key will be whether bishops find ways to hold each other accountable, especially with talk increasing of a federal investigation of cover-ups linked to sexual abuse.
Read More(COMMENTARY) The Catholic Church’s “bad guys” aren’t women, but men accused of molesting children and teens over the last few decades. Those who were victimized were children, teens and young people – all in large part males. The solution to the Catholic Church’s ills won’t come from the clergy – certainly not if Pope Francis and others protect the likes of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick – but from the flock. And it will be women who will lead the way.
Read MoreNewspaper, magazine and broadcast reports attempting to explain the moves toward nationalist-tinged political populism in a host of European nations, and certainly the United States as well, have become a journalistic staple, which makes sense given the subject’s importance.
Read MoreClemente Lisi was a reporter for the New York Post on September 11, 2001. He is now a journalism professor teaching students who weren’t even born by that date. Lisi reflects back on covering 9/11 and the profound impact it made on him as a journalist and native New Yorker.
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