(ANALYSIS) At the core of most superstitions are certain intuitive notions about how the world works. Early anthropologists described these intuitions in terms of principles such as “similarity” and “contagion.”
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(REVIEW) American novelist Cormac McCarthy often writes about people on the fringes of society who are isolated from true connection with others. His newest novel in a two-book set, “The Passenger,” is no different, but in it the protagonist still has plenty of conversations. In almost every conversation, one character asks, “Do you believe in God?”
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(OPINION) Obviously, Trump’s behavior is several orders of magnitude below Hitler’s horrors; hopefully, Cheney will never have to display courage to the point of martyrdom as Bonhoeffer did; and certainly no one should be plotting to assassinate Trump as Bonhoeffer’s circle did with Hitler. But there are some instructive similarities.
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Between 2010 and 2020, nondenominational churches expanded by 2 million attendees and 9,000 congregations in the U.S., according to the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, which was released last week. Nondenominational churches now make up 4% of the U.S. population and constitute the third-largest religious group in the country after Catholics and the Southern Baptist Convention.
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(REVIEW) Tell-all books have become a staple of our political conversation. They give readers a chance to see what took place in private during some of history’s most trying times. That’s the case of former Vice President Mike Pence’s new memoir about his life and time in the White House with former President Donald Trump.
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U.S. Army Chaplain Frederick A. McDonald collected shards of glass from broken stained glass windows of synagogues, churches and chapels across Europe during World War II. Those fragments are now part of an art exhibit called “Remembered Light: Glass Fragments from World War II, The McDonald Windows” on display in San Francisco’s Veterans Building through Nov. 20.
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(REVIEW) “The Gospel Woman” is a brilliant new play produced by National Black Theatre. It’s an American family drama that focuses on grief, faith and healing — and it features some incredible gospel music.
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In a midterm election highlighted by issues such as inflation, crime, abortion and threats to democracy, it turned out that recreational marijuana use has emerged as a new hot-button issue in the culture wars following staunch opposition by Catholic bishops.
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Christian institutions face a never-ending challenge: Which cultural changes should we embrace as we prepare for the future? The challenge is starker at Bob Jones University, the bastion of American fundamentalism for nearly a century.
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When a tornado struck this southeastern Oklahoma town on Friday night, the Bypass Church of Christ served the community as a shelter. The 100-member congregation opened its doors almost immediately to help — as the American Red Cross and news stations spread the word.
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A film crew started a movement to rebuild a French monastery in Morocco after shooting the award-winning movie “Of Gods and Men” there. The monastery was closed in 1968, leaving abandoned buildings. But the “Spirit of Toumliline” did not leave.
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(OPINION) Many of us feel stuck. It’s hard to believe that most individuals paying attention to the daily avalanche of disconcerting news are not similarly stuck. Buddhism has a term for this state. It’s called the “bardo” and it’s being referenced repeatedly in Buddhist conversations these days.
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Republican senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz faces an uphill battle as he closes on Democratic rival John Fetterman for the title of next senator of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Yet, Oz’s surprise victory in the Republican primary and his strong showing in the campaign also signals a subtle political shift — many Muslim Americans are increasingly voting Republican.
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The Argentina versus England quarterfinal matchup at the 1986 World Cup will forever be remembered as the game where Diego Maradona scored twice, one of them a controversial goal he later dubbed the “Hand of God.” The game, a mix of political tension and faith, cemented Maradona’s place as one of soccer’s greatest players.
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At Harlem’s famous Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Rev. Calvin Butts III went from counseling engaged couples to counseling the U.S. president — from advising the brothers in Harlem to advising diplomats at the United Nations. That is why a long line has wrapped around the block of the megachurch over the last two days as the ordinary and extraordinary paid their final respects.
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“The Unbelieving,” a new play on limited run in New York, explores the lives of clergy who stopped believing in God. The play is based on a qualitative study that interviewed clergy from across faith traditions about their transition away from believing and how the change threatened to take away their families, communities and sense of self.
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Politicians across the country are in the last stretch of campaigning as Americans prepare to cast the votes in the midterm elections on Nov. 8. ReligionUnplugged.com takes a look at some of the key races where a candidate’s faith could play a big factor in the election results.
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(ANALYSIS) Turnout will likely play an outsize role in the 2022 midterms, too, as voters determine what political party will have control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in January 2023. If the data is any guide, there are two key communities political analysts often overlook: atheists and agnostics.
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(ANALYSIS) Polls show that voters care more about inflation, but Democrats are hoping that talking up abortion will get out their base. Abortion, however, isn’t just a political issue. As President Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, promises to make abortion a federal right should Democrats keep a majority, tension among him and prominent U.S. bishops has heated up again.
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(ANALYSIS) According to the controversial singer Ye, formerly called Kanye West, Black people are Jews. This part of his rhetoric is the strongest hint of where exactly his recent outpouring of antisemitism flows from.
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