Posts in North America
The Asbury Revival Sparks Prayer, Reflection At Other Christian Universities

With roots in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, Asbury University emphasizes seeking God through repentance and sanctification — and looking for transformative movements of the Holy Spirit. But some Christian groups don’t tend to share the same expectation for outward expressions of spiritual manifestations.

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Attorney General Merrick Garland Testifies: What He Said Depends On Who You Read

(ANALYSIS) It’s almost always news when a public official testifies before a congressional committee. Such was the case when Attorney General Merrick Garland faced the Senate Judiciary Committee. As expected, it was an important, and often heated, four hours of testimony that was highlighted by the back-and-forth exchanges between Garland and Republican senators on the panel. You can read Garland’s opening remarks on the DOJ website. 

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What The 2023 Oscars Love (And Hate) About Religion

(ANALYSIS) The 2023 Oscar nominees have largely given up on real religion. Portrayals of religion in the real world are almost exclusively cartoonishly negative, but the movies also acknowledge that a world without religion isn’t great either. Instead of real religion, the academy seems to believe in a handful of imaginary religions created for the silver screen. 

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Why Businessman Peter Chung Is Key Player In The Future Of The King’s College

(ANALYSIS) It would be smart for religion reporters, business reporters and education reporters to dig more into Canadian businessman Peter Chung and his involvement with King’s in the past two years as well as his other business ventures through Primacorp Ventures Inc. and the Emanata Group.

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From Catholicism To ‘Jew-ish’: How George Santos Pulled Off His Religiously Intersectional Fraud

(OPINION) Santos’ intersectionality worked perfectly in a congressional district that is itself exceedingly diverse and arguably somewhat tribal. I write from experience as I lived in that district for several years and understand the dynamics firsthand. 

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History Repeats: Could The Asbury Revival Last 100 Years Like The Moravian Revival in Germany?

(OPINION) As odd as all this might seem, spontaneous revivals in Christianity aren’t terribly unusual. On Feb. 3, 1970, a revival erupted at what was then Asbury College. That one, too, began at a morning chapel service. It lasted 185 hours nonstop. Intermittently, it continued for weeks. Ultimately it spread across the United States and to other countries.

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Native Hawaiians Believe Volcanoes Are Alive And Should Be Treated Like People, With Distinct Rights And Responsibilities

(ANALYSIS) Hawaii’s largest and oldest volcano, Mauna Loa, began erupting on Nov. 27, 2022, with lava flowing miles away downhill. The last eruption, which lasted three weeks, was nearly 40 years ago. It is not clear how long this eruption will last, but for many Native Hawaiians, it is a profound spiritual experience.

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Persistent CEO Leads Christian Care Centers Through Bankruptcy And Sale

Sabrina Porter, now 59, relates her personal childhood trauma as she reflects on why her latest challenge — leading Texas-based Christian Care Centers Inc. through bankruptcy and a sale to new owners — does not faze her.

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‘Jesus Revolution’: A Revival Movie That Struggles To Be Inspiring And Truthful

(REVIEW) “Jesus Revolution” is well intentioned, but its storytelling is too weak and its message too dishonest to inspire a true vision on how to start or maintain a Christian revival in the modern world.

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Why You May Have Missed News About The FBI Memo Calling Out ‘Radical Traditionalist’ Catholics

(ANALYSIS) The politicization of American society has affected a great number of institutions. The FBI has also become politicized. This is a belief that picked up momentum during Donald Trump’s presidency, but continues to exist now. If journalism is the place that you believe should shed a light on this painful paradox, then you’d be sadly mistaken.

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Two Asbury Students Reflect on What The Revival Means for Gen Z’s Faith

Over the span of two weeks, Asbury University, a small evangelical college in Wilmore, Kentucky, has been the center of a revival attracting thousands of believers from across the country for 24-hour prayer and worship. 

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5 Books About Lent That Will Help You Prepare For Easter

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts about six weeks, culminating with Easter Sunday. It is the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Ahead of the Lenten season, here are five books about this prayerful season that will prepare Christians for Easter.

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The King’s College In New York City Notifies Parents Of $2.6 Million Shortfall

In an email to parents on Feb. 6, The King’s College announced it was experiencing a “funding shortfall of approximately $2.6 million for the spring semester, due primarily to the timing of pending income.”

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Eastern European Mission Sees Growth Of Relief Work In Ukraine

Eastern European Mission, a ministry founded in 1961 by seven young couples from Abilene Christian University in Texas to distribute Bibles, is expanding its first-ever relief efforts, which were launched after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.

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Walking To New York City From Washington D.C. At A Spiritual Speed

(REVIEW) In his new book coming out in April called “American Ramble,” Neil King Jr. has crafted a travelogue fit for a reporter and a monk, built on paying close attention during a 26-day walk he took to New York City from Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2021.

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For Christians In Memphis, Tyre Nichols’ Death A Cause For Concern and Action

A picture of Tyre Nichols in his hospital bed greeted a recent assembly of the Coleman Avenue Church of Christ. The same big screen displayed photos of five Memphis police officers charged with murder in the 29-year-old Black man’s death.

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Whistleblower Details New Allegations About $100 Billion LDS Fund

A former employee of a $100 billion investment fund owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has submitted a memorandum to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee about the operations of the Salt Lake City, Utah, based Ensign Peak Advisors Inc. The 90-page memorandum obtained by ReligionUnplugged.com “summarizes evidence of false statements, systematic accounting fraud, private inurement violations of the Internal Revenue Code and other federal statutes and a ‘Klein conspiracy’ by Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. (‘EPA’) and others.”

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Is The End Of Journalistic Objectivity The Reason Catholic Church Vandalism Isn't A Big Story?

(OPINION) Old-school objectivity in journalism appears to be dead. My proof for that statement is that the ongoing vandalism of churches is a major story, but one that elite newsroom professionals have decided is a right-wing political talking point. If this isn’t a flaw in the current way journalists do things, then expect for more readers to look elsewhere for information.

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'Left Behind: Rise Of The Antichrist' The Latest Installment In Apocalyptic Thriller Franchise

(REVIEW) “Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist,” the new movie about the end of the world as told in the Bible, has it all: boring action sequences, jokes about the COVID-19 vaccine, altar calls, a postscript message from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a joke about former president Barack Obama being the Antichrist, a painfully clunky script and even a Romanian politician who has a bland American accent. 

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Battle Continues Between Iowa Church And IRS Over Use Of Hallucinogenic Drugs

An Iowa church that uses a hallucinogenic drug as part of its religious ceremonies is engaged in an ongoing fight to win tax-exempt status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The Iowaska Church of Healing of Des Moines sued the IRS in U.S. District Court last year for denying its request to be recognized as a nonprofit organization.

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