Posts in North America
Alliance University’s Closure Is A Major Loss For Minority Students In New York

Alliance University, a Christian college in lower Manhattan that primarily served minority students, announced it will close this year after losing its accreditation amid other hurdles.

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Two Documentaries Portray Religious Groups Capitalizing On Fear And Shame

(OPINION) Two recent documentary series offer distressing portraits of Christian organizations that, although unrelated, appear eerily similar. Both movements gained prominence in part by instilling fear and shame in their members. Both have reaped abuse, scandal and decline.

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Fostering Community Through Food: Inside the Only Halal Store in Southeastern Washington

Sandwiched between a laundromat and an appliance shop, is the only halal store in the southeastern Washington state and central Idaho area known as The Palouse. Until June, PNW Halal Meats, LLC had been hidden away on the northeast side of town in Pullman, Washington, close to the Washington State University campus. The store was cramped with a confined parking lot, easy to miss if one wasn’t looking for it.

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Supreme Court Declines Christian College’s Challenge To Biden Transgender Policy

The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Missouri Christian college seeking to halt a Biden administration policy the college believes may force it to allow biological males in women’s dormitories.

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Elevation Megachurch Withdraws From The Southern Baptist Convention

North Carolina megachurch Elevation — known for its popular music and charismatic pastor — is withdrawing its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention effective immediately, according to a letter sent to the SBC’s Executive Committee and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

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'Sabbath' Documentary Shows Religions' Emphasis On Rest in a Burnout Culture

(REVIEW) Martin Doblmeier’s documentary, “Sabbath” explores how each of the monotheistic faiths have tackled the restlessness and consistent hurry of modern culture through adopting some variation on what the weekly Sabbath or time of rest looks like in their respective faith cultures.

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A Tale of Two New Yorks: Secularism and Spirituality in the Big Apple

(OPINION) It's hard to consider the Big Apple a truly "secular city" when considering the rising number of New Yorkers who are Muslim, Orthodox Jewish, Hindu and evangelical and Pentecostal in Latino, Black, Asian, White and interracial flocks.

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How Are Houses of Worship Like Retail Stores? Changing Channels Of Distribution

(OPINION) Houses of worship are in decline. One reason is Americans’ waning interest in religious institutions. Another may be the change in consumer behavior away from the “average” and toward the large, the online and the small but specialized. Houses of worship can develop hope by learning from the experiences of the retail, financial-services and health care industries.

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How Christians Around the World Celebrate The Feast Of Saints Peter And Paul

The feast day of saints Peter and Paul is a significant celebration in the Christian calendar because it commemorates the lives of two martyrs. The annual feast, observed on June 29, holds deep religious and historical significance for Christians around the world.

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5 Powerful Tributes To The Late Pastor Timothy Keller

We’ve compiled a list of some of the top five tributes written since Tim Keller’s death, highlighting the influence and incredible legacy he left on individuals, New York City and the Christian sphere.

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Evolving Journalism Doctrines: Associated Press Adds Clarity On The ‘T’ In LGBTQ+

(OPINION) On June 2, the AP editorial team issued an updated “Transgender Coverage Topical Guide” that’s very timely, and not just because June is Pride Month. This latest update is yet another step to embrace changes linked to the sexual revolution. Meanwhile, the Public Religion Research Institute released a poll showing U.S. opinion is getting more conservative on these matters.

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Broken & Mended Provides A Lifeline For People Who Hurt — All The Time

Young and old, male and female, around one-fifth of U.S. adults deal with chronic pain. But at a monthly meeting in this Oklahoma town, fellow sufferers — some gathered in person, others connecting from afar via Zoom — find support through a ministry called Broken & Mended.

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Wisconsin Court Shouldn’t Confine Religion Within Church Walls

(OPINION) Later this year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will take up the issue of whether a Catholic charity is “religious” enough to qualify for the legal benefits that apply to religious organizations. The major question that the justices will consider is whether the organizations are more “charitable” than “religious.”

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‘Somebody Has To Die For Me To Live’: The Faith Story Of A 330-Day COVID Patient

Faith helped a COVID-19 patient and his family survive life support, a double lung transplant and 330 days in the hospital. Nearly a year after going home, Danny Mills has some normalcy back in his life, but he still lives with constant reminders of what he went through.

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Southern Baptists Put On A Show, But Emerge Remarkably Unified

(ANALYSIS) It’s worth pausing to note a couple of “behind the headlines” moments from the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. If you think there is deep division in the Southern Baptist Convention, you have to ignore a lot of hard data that suggest a strong consensus — on abuse reform, on women pastors, and on cleaning up decades of financial profligacy.

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What Has Changed In The DNA Of The Southern Baptist Convention?

(OPINION) The issue isn’t who is a Baptist and who is not. Church historians struggle to count the number of organized Baptist groups, and thousands of Baptist churches are totally independent. The question is whether the SBC’s DNA has changed in ways that will affect local churches, as well as agencies, boards and seminaries at the state and national levels.

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How Prison Made Me A Better Bible Teacher

(OPINION) When I taught in prison, the students expressed more gratitude than I ever knew in any other setting. Any notion of the utilitarian foundation of education was reduced to ashes. These men were not coming to learn so they could get jobs or pad their resumes; they were coming for edification. They were coming to learn, to grow, to love.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Play A Zero-Nun Game At Annual Pride Night

(ANALYSIS) The Dodgers have held Pride Night for 10 years. This year’s edition became ensnared in controversy. Following criticism from Catholic groups, the team rescinded an invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at Pride Night. They were later reinvited. Unless you attended the game and got there an hour before it started — that’s when the group was honored — you don’t really know what happened.

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