Posts in North America
Claudia Sheinbaum Elected Mexico’s First Female Jewish President

Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won a landslide victory on Sunday to become Mexico's first female president. Sheinbaum, won the presidency with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. She is also Jewish in a country that is majority Catholic.

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Muslim Women Who Are Registered To Vote More Likely To Donate Money

(ANALYSIS) Civic engagement — including volunteering and registering to vote — rather than religiosity was more correlated with giving by Muslim American women, according to research we conducted with our colleagues at the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative. Muslims are required to contribute zakat, a form of giving. To meet this obligation, Muslims are required to give 2.5 percent of their wealth to charities.

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Will The Foreign Grant Reporting Act Have Unintended Consequences?

(ANALYSIS) A new piece of legislation introduced earlier this month would require not-for-profit organizations to report grants they make to foreign entities. The Foreign Grant Reporting Act is authored by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) He says his goal is to bring more transparency into the growing tax-exempt sector.

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As Boy Scouts Shed Name, Interest Surges in A Christian Alternative

After decades of declining membership, the Boy Scouts of America hopes dropping “Boy” from its name will attract more children to the program. However, some evidence suggests this latest move may be pushing more families to seek alternatives specifically tailored for boys and promoting explicit Christian values.

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On Religion: Harrison Butker’s Speech Put A Spotlight On Catholic Tensions

(ANALYSIS) This bitter divide resurfaced during the May 11 Benedictine College commencement speech by Harrison Butker, a three-time Super Bowl champion from the nearby Kansas City Chiefs. While remarks about women and family life dominated headlines, most of the placekicker's 20-minute address focused on divisions inside Catholicism.

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Black Christians Call For Permanent Ceasefire In Israeli-Hamas War

Thirteen leaders from predominantly Black Churches of Christ have signed a formal letter calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The initiative — led by James Michael Crusoe, Edward Keyton and Quintessa Hathaway — began in February during Black History Month after the “Somebody Must Come Preaching” podcast featured the trio on an episode titled “Their struggle is our struggle.”

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Catholics Across America Unite For First Ever Eucharistic Pilgrimage

The largest Catholic Eucharistic pilgrimage in U.S. history launched across the country on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, and will travel through Southern Idaho May 27 through May 31. Across the nation, over 100,000 people are expected to participate in this momentous movement of feet and faith.  

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The Moral And Ethical Challenges Posed By Artificial Intelligence

The speakers that took to the stage at MIT this past week addressed a series of issues surrounding AI, including how it impacts a number of areas such as communications, entertainment, healthcare, politics, climate change and the military. In fact, speakers talked about the numerous potential pitfalls in a world where AI is becoming more ubiquitous.

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Brazilian Missionaries Bring The Gospel To Fellow Immigrants In Florida

The Borbas never expected to become missionaries to their people in a foreign land.  Yet three visas and almost 10 years later, Maikon Borba had graduated from Harding with a degree in Bible and missions and moved his family 36 miles north of Miami. 

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5 Notable College Commencement Addresses That Featured Faith

College students across the country are graduating this month. As is custom, famous people are invited to speak to students about the future. Sometimes, religion and faith comes up — especially at Christian colleges — and it’s not always something that resonates with the U.S.’s broader, more secular culture. Here are five that stood out this spring.

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Travel Sports Create Issues And Opportunities For Families and Churches

A Lifeway Research study of both U.S. Protestant pastors and churchgoers found most in both groups believe it’s OK to miss church occasionally for a kid’s game or travel sporting event, but those in the pews are laxer on the issue than those behind the pulpit. More than one in three Protestant pastors say it’s never OK to skip a weekly worship service for kid’s games or travel sporting events.

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Journalist Marshall Allen, Who Fused Reporting With His Faith, Dies at 52

Allen, who spent 10 years of his career reporting for ProPublica, was a fierce advocate for transparency and fairness in health care, guided by his strong faith and belief in honesty and integrity. He died died this past Sunday at a hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He was 52.

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4 Lessons From The PCA/David French Debacle

(OPINION) Following an outcry that spilled over into the mainstream media (“David French” and “PCA” trended nationally on X for days), a David French panel on “how to be supportive of your pastor and church leaders in a polarized political year” at the PCA General Assembly was canceled. However, that doesn’t mean the story is over, or that it doesn’t have some lessons to teach.

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City Closes Church-Operated Temporary Shelter in Colorado

Castle Rock, Colorado, has closed the on-site temporary shelter hosted by The Rock, according to a complaint filed on behalf of the church by First Liberty, a legal defense fund that defends religious freedom.

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Will Catholics Determine Whether Biden Or Trump Wins In ‘24?

A recent series of crosscurrents and eruptions remind us that Catholic voters may well decide this odd contest between unwelcome nominees. As with Americans in general, Pew Research Center polling shows they give fellow Catholic Biden an unfavorable rating of 64 percent and 57 percent unfavorable toward Trump. 

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Methodist Group’s Website No Longer Shows Sunday Morning Beach Restrictions

In an effort to avoid heavy fines this summer, the Christian group that has called the New Jersey seaside town of Ocean Grove home for over 150 years has amended its website and will keep beaches open on Sunday mornings.

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As Classes End, Colleges Take Down Encampments With Cops Or Concessions

As spring semesters around the country end, pro-Palestinian encampments — at least 10 in the past few weeks — are coming down, sometimes as a result of agreements between protesters and administrators, sometimes as a result of forceful action by police. Most agreements have involved amnesty for protesters and given them an opportunity to have input in university investment decisions.

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Trial Kicks Off for Christian Billionaire Bill Hwang’s Fraud Scheme

Earlier this month, billionaire trader and philanthropist Bill Hwang appeared in court to answer for his role in a high-stakes Wall Street meltdown that saw several large banks lose billions in days. Jury selection began last week, followed by opening statements and the first witness testimony on Monday. The trial is expected to last eight weeks.

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