Posts in North America
Palestinian-American Community Mourns Death Of Muslim Boy

The Palestinian community that lives just outside of Chicago remains in mourning a day after a funeral service was held for 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. Crowds gathered in Bridgeview — home to a large Palestinian community — to say goodbye to the boy killed in what authorities have called a hate crime fueled by the Israel-Hamas war.

Read More
Faith and Football: Athletes in Action Chaplains Serve NFL Teams

Fall means NFL football, and NFL football means that staffers with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Cru, are busy serving a number of NFL teams. Unlike Major League Baseball, which uses Baseball Chapel to offer players and coaches regular chapel services before nearly every game, NFL teams vary in their commitment to introducing chaplains and pastors to their organizations.

Read More
Andy Stanley’s Sermon On LGBTQ+ Issues Evokes Condemnation And Praise

Andy Stanley’s sermon on Sunday, which sought to clarify his stance on LGBTQ+ issues, is evoking condemnation from nonaffirming Christian leaders and praise from ones that affirm same-sex relationships.

Read More
Christian Leaders Increase Pressure On Lawmakers In Anti-Death Penalty Fight

A coalition of diverse Christian leaders across the United States have intensified their fight this week against the death penalty, arguing that the state does not have the right to take the life of another. The fight against the death penalty is nothing new. While executions across the country have been in steady decline, many lawmakers are running on platforms seeking for it to be used more.

Read More
New Play Celebrates Black Spirituality And History

“(pray)” is a choreopoem that tells a story through the lens of a feminine experience in a Black Baptist Church. It blends the past with the present, the divine with the earthly and the fear of the unknown with the delight of faith. 

Read More
Liberty University Broke Safety Laws for Years, Federal Report Finds

Liberty University reportedly failed to keep its campus safe and repeatedly violated federal law specifying how to do so for years, according to a U.S. Department of Education preliminary report. It shows the university underreported campus crime and deterred people from reporting crimes in the first place. That’s even as Liberty claims to be “one of the safest campuses in the state — and in the nation.”

Read More
The Rescue Of Danish Jews During the Holocaust Continues To Inspire

The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York will open a new exhibit later this month that explores the rescue in “Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark.” Intended particularly for children and adolescents, the interactive exhibit not only commemorates the event, but asks visitors to confront the question: How would you respond if you heard a cry for help today?

Read More
Mark Driscoll’s Safe Space: How The Embattled Pastor Built A New Church

After the implosion of Mars Hill Church, Mark Driscoll started a new congregation in Arizona, but former attendees say problems still persist.

Read More
The Story Of Ohio’s Ancient Native Complex And Its Journey As A World Heritage Site

(ANALYSIS) Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites on Sept. 19, 2023. The eight mound complexes that received this designation are spread across central and southern Ohio and were built between the beginning of the common era and the 12th century.

Read More
World Vision Responds To Inquiry, Denies Accusations of Aiding Terrorism

World Vision, the $1.4 billion Christian relief ministry, has told U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley that it denies claims it aided terrorists in Gaza. In August, the senator from Iowa sent a series of questions to the ministry, a major beneficiary of federal funding that has long denied its work in Gaza supports terrorists

Read More
Methodist Community In Religious Liberty Fight Regarding Sunday Beach Access

A Christian group that has called the seaside town of Ocean Grove in New Jersey home for over 150 years is in a battle with state officials over beach access on Sundays. The town has kept its beach closed on Sundays from 9 a.m to noon — a total of 45 hours a year — each summer so that residents can attend church services. But New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection has issued a violation letter stating the town is disobeying the law by cutting off access to the ocean.

Read More
West Side Story: Diverse NY Church Represents 5 Continents

The Upper West Manhattan Church of Christ worships God in rented space at Hostelling International’s Victorian-style building at the corner of West 103rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The 25-year-old congregation began meeting in a small karate studio in 1998 — in the community that, four decades earlier, inspired the Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical “West Side Story.” 

Read More
UAW President Shawn Fain Leans On His Christianity To Rally Auto Workers

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain may have the power to cripple assembly lines — but he’s also not afraid to invoke a higher authority throughout the negotiating process. In fact, Fain has increasingly mixed his Christian beliefs with his labor rhetoric over the past few weeks.

Read More
Jill Duggar Dillard Says Father Treated Her ‘Worse’ Than Pedophile Son

A new memoir by another child of Jim Bob Duggar contains some stunning revelations about the former “19 Kids and Counting” TV family. According to Jill Duggar Dillard, the fourth-eldest Duggar sibling, her parents treated her worse for exposing their verbal abuse and control than they treated her brother Josh for his pedophilia.  

Read More
Gay Leaders To Speak During Unconditional Conference At Andy Stanley’s Church

North Point Community Church, led by pastor Andy Stanley, is hosting the Unconditional Conference, which is billed as a “premier event for Christian parents with LGBTQ+ children, ministry leaders and health care professionals.” The conference is being held Sept. 28 and 29 at the suburban Atlanta church.

Read More
‘Not A Tame Lion’ Highlights The Life And Legacy Of Christian Historian John Boswell

Since his death in 1994, the gay Yale historian’s significance has continued to rise, both in academic and wider cultural circles. So it is not surprising that a documentary entitled “Not A Tame Lion” has been produced about his life and impact by filmmakers Craig Bettendorf and Kai Morgan.

Read More
If You Could Choose One Characteristic For A Presidential Candidate, What Would It Be?

(OPINION) On Aug. 28, I conducted a poll on X (formerly known as Twitter), asking, “As a voter, what is the single most important factor or quality you’re looking for in a presidential candidate?” The four choices were integrity/character, good policies, backbone or unifier.

Read More
Trudeau Links India To Slaying Of Sikh Separatist Leader In Canada

(EXPLAINER) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “agents of the government of India” of carrying out the assassination of a Sikh leader in British Columbia. Trudeau’s comments, which took place before the House of Commons on Monday, pointed the finger for the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar at India’s government “in no uncertain terms” based on intelligence reports.

Read More
Mormons (And People Of Faith In General) More Likely To Be Fraud Victims

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ furtive investment strategy ultimately resulted in it being fined by the SEC earlier this year. The move likely stemmed from a deeply rooted belief that by keeping a low profile and minimizing how much it shared about its inner workings, the church could avoid criticism from hostile outside forces looking to attack it. 

Read More