Posts in North America
A Rally For Jews Who Reject The War But Not Israel

Unlike at other rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza, you aren’t likely to hear calls for Palestine to extend “from the river to the sea” at the one in New York’s Union Square. And there will be few or no denunciations of Israel as a “settler-colonial” state. Rather, rallygoers call on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bilateral ceasefire,” humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the release of all hostages in Gaza. 

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Investigations Test Legal Protections For Jewish College Students

A federal investigation or lawsuit related to antisemitism on college campuses has been opened or filed nearly every other day on average since Oct. 7, according to a new report. The complaints describe a range of incidents, including white supremacist flyers at Montana State University and a drunken assault at the University of Tampa.

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Religious Restrictions Increase In Many Parts Of The World, New Study Reveals

Restrictions on religion by government officials across the world reached a new peak in 2021, a new Pew Research Center report released on Tuesday revealed. The report looked at 198 countries and territories around the world. It is the 14th year that Pew released such a report on the global state of religion.

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Connecting With God And Others: How Chaplains Support Denver’s Unhoused

Chaplains have to be delicate on what questions and subjects they talk about if they want to establish a connection. “It can be very difficult because many times, they may feel that they have been abandoned by families and friends and by God. So we will try to help them, hopefully, to understand that we personally do not feel that they are abandoned by God,” said Rene Palacios, director of chaplaincy and community care at the Denver Rescue Mission.

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From Super Bowl-winning Chaplain To Unique Ministry As ‘Life Coach’

For 14 seasons, Pastor Rod Hairston served as a chaplain for the Baltimore Ravens, where he helped the NFL franchise build a winning culture among the front office executives, coaches and players. After two Super Bowl rings and serving as a sports chaplain from Howard University to UCLA, Hairston, 57, is a “life coach” working with couples.

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Pastor Says His ‘Heart Has Kind Of Sunk’ Following Texas Wildfires

Pastor Bob Bynum has become somewhat of a rancher’s helper, wrestling cattle at times and helping when needed among the 20 or so ranchers who worship at Locust Grove Baptist Church. The Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in Texas history, came within a mile of a church member’s ranch, Bynum said, but none of the church’s members have reported any direct losses.

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How Catholicism Shaped America Through Movies And The Politics Of Today

(ANALYSIS) Think back to a time well before the internet when anyone could own a little bit of property in the suburbs. “God” had just been added to the pledge and father always knew best. Sound perfect? Great, even? This sepia-infused vision of mid-century America informs an entire political movement today.

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Hannah Rose Thomas’ ‘Tears of Gold’ and the Empathetic Power of Art

Artist and human rights activist Hannah Rose Thomas has recently published an art book, “Tears of Gold,” which is filled with painted portraits of women who had escaped violence in their respective countries. The book also contains self-portraits of these women, along with their own words.

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Faith Leaders Remain Key To Protecting Migrants

(ANALYSIS) Several prominent figures in the Christian right have offered justification for anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. The Christian right has asserted the need to protect the American culture and families from the alleged dangerous influence of Islam and from the supposed wave of hardened criminals crossing the southern border.

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Evangelicals Urge Biblical Response To Immigration Reform

Evangelicals’ nuanced views on immigration should encourage faith leaders to offer biblical responses to all concerns, key evangelical leaders said upon the release of a new Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table. Both the compassionate care of immigrants and border security rank high among evangelicals, the poll showed.

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Legal Group Sues Education Department Over Grand Canyon University Fine

A conservative legal group based in Arizona is suing the U.S. Department of Education over the $37.7 million fine it issued against Grand Canyon University. The Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit against the federal agency in order to obtain documents explaining the reason behind the fine.

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Calvin University President Forced To Resign Following ‘Inappropriate Messages’

The president of Calvin University, a Christian school based in Michigan, was forced to resign following “inappropriate messages,” the school said on Monday.

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How Alabama Supreme Court’s Ruling On Life Affects IVF

(EXPLAINER) The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) healthcare system announced that it was pausing all in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertility treatments. This pause is due to the perceived fear of prosecution and lawsuits in light of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, Feb. 16, stating that human beings in the embryonic stage have the same legal rights and protections as children who are born.

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Game On: The Religious Dynamics Of A Biden-Trump Race

(ANALYSIS) Assuming it’s game on for an inevitable rerun of Trump vs. Biden, with a predicted narrow victory margin, what religious dynamics will be playing out?

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Alito Sounds Alarm After Christians Denied Jury Duty Service In Missouri

The barring of two Christians from jury duty in a trial involving a lesbian is evidence that Christians with a biblical worldview are increasingly seen as bigots, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said after Missouri asked the High Court to review the ruling.

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Undeterred By Protests, Christie’s New York Hosts A Show Of Israeli Art

Christie’s New York auction house is hosting a weeklong exhibition of 70 works of art that trace Israeli culture over the past century. The paintings, sculpture, drawings and video have never been shown outside Israel before. The show takes place in the U.S. at a time of unprecedented anger toward the Jewish state over its military campaign in Gaza.

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With Waning Sunday Night Attendance, Churches Look For Change

In recent decades, poor attendance led an increasing number of congregations to end Sunday night activities or try approaches such as small-group meetings or service projects instead of regular assemblies. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated that trend as churches stopped Sunday night services and never resumed them.

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New York’s Cardinal Dolan Defends St. Patrick’s Priests Following Funeral Scandal

Cardinal Timothy Dolan defended the priests working at St. Patrick’s Cathedral this week, saying the funeral held there for a transgender activist came as a surprise and that the prelates “knew nothing about this that was coming up.”

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