Your view of the health of American Christian congregations and of their clergy may very much depends on the angle taken: Up from the orchestra or looking down from the balcony. One thing seems evident: In a country in which Christian affiliation has declined (though there are signs it has stabilized) many Catholic and Protestant clergy face significant challenges.
Read MoreWhen you think about Jewish contributions to the world of entertainment, your mind probably immediately goes to comedies, sci-fi and musicals. But there’s another genre rich with Jewish history: Westerns. In the new book “Chai Noon: Jews and the Cinematic Wild West,” scholar Jonathan Friedmann examines Jewish figures and themes in Western film, dating back to Hollywood’s first feature-length film. “The Squaw Man,” released in 1914.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Black church in America is an entirely different culture than the average White evangelical or mainline tradition. Anyone who has attended a worship service in a Black church tradition knows that to be true. But beyond a difference in worship styles, there are many ways that the Black church should be considered its own category.
Read MoreThere may be more than one reason Generation X is dubbed the Forgotten Generation. According to a Giving USA survey, they are being surpassed by their younger counterparts — millennials — when it comes to charitable giving. However, baby boomers surpass everyone.
Read MoreA Christian university in Arizona is no longer on the hook for a $37.7 million federal fine, believed to be the largest-ever financial penalty imposed on a school. Grand Canyon University (GCU), said that on May 16, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) rescinded the massive penalty proposed for the Phoenix-based school in 2023.
Read MoreDaniel Floyd, a megachurch pastor in Virginia, will become senior pastor of Gateway Church, the scandal-plagued Dallas-area congregation founded by accused child molester Robert Morris.
Read More(REVIEW) The film does fall into some contrived tropes. It’s never really adequately explained why they don’t initially try to get donations for the surgery (or help from Joe’s super-rich friend). But it doesn’t lean as far into these as most do, and the authenticity of how the characters behave in these situations makes up for it. “The Last Rodeo” is the best Angel Studios movie to date and one of the better faith-based industry films ever made.
Read MorePhil Robertson, who gained national fame as the bearded, camouflage-clad Duck Commander, “has gone to be with Jesus,” his Louisiana church family confirmed. The reality TV star and Bible teacher — known for leading hundreds, if not thousands, of souls to Christ — died this past Sunday at age 79. His family had revealed last year that Robertson faced early-stage Alzheimer’s and other health problems.
Read MoreTexas lawmakers banned nondisclosure clauses in sexual abuse settlement agreements May 26, following Missouri’s passage of similar legislation weeks earlier. The Texas legislature approved the final version of its bill on Memorial Day, first approving it in the House in April, before the Senate’s nod to a similar version of the bill May 15, with the House’s final approval.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Data shows a positive relationship between education and church attendance in the U.S. But does that same relationship exist in Europe? I’ve never tested it, but data from the European Social Survey makes it possible to do this type of analysis pretty easily.
Read More(OPINION) If you are a conservative, Bible-believing Christian, there’s a lot to like about the Rev. Calvin Robinson. His behavior of the past few years has demonstrated both a sharp mind and an enormous gift for communication, but also an unseemly appetite for controversy and the limelight.
Read More(REVIEW) While “Bad Shabbos” is very funny, little about it really breaks new ground, as it primarily leans on the classic tropes and themes of a Jewish “meet the parents” comedy. The movie also has some tonal awkwardness between the relatively grounded characters and dialogue mixed with its rather unbelievable farcical premise and series of escalating decisions.
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court could not find five votes for either side in an appeal that would have established the first state-supported religious charter school in the nation. The 4-4 split — made possible by Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s recusal — allowed to stand the lower court’s decision that it would be unconstitutional for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma City to be established with public funds.
Read MoreArmy chaplain, Maj. Tyler Shields, senior pastor at First Baptist Barbourville, baptized nine soldiers in the North Atlantic Ocean during the annual training TREADEWINDS 25 in Trinidad and Tobago in his last assignment in the National Guard. In 10 years as chaplain, Shields said he has shared the Gospel multiple times, but this was the first time he had the opportunity to baptize any soldiers.
Read MoreThe man who allegedly walked up to two Israeli embassy staffers and shot them dead Wednesday night reportedly told eyewitnesses he “did it for Gaza.” The event those staffers had just left at the Capital Jewish Museum highlighted an organization that supplied aid to Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. And his victims had made peace-building central to their work.
Read More“A loss is not the end. Don’t make it one,” proclaimed the Hastings Church of Christ marquee sign. The church lost its minister nearly two years ago and — despite solid finances — has been unable to fill the position. Meanwhile, a university 60 miles away has supplied Sunday speakers.
Read MoreTwo Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside an event in Washington, D.C., around 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to local and federal officials, by a suspect who appeared to target them in what many Jewish leaders are calling an antisemitic attack. The shooting took place following an American Jewish Committee event for young Jewish professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum.
Read MoreA federal tax credit proposal would provide up to $5,000 per student in tuition assistance for yeshivas and other Jewish schools nationwide. The proposal, which has been criticized by some as a threat to religious liberty, has been hailed as "historic" by Agudath Israel.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When the hip-hop artist formerly known as Kanye West went on his first antisemitic tirade, some opined that we should ignore it. Why give more gas to the fire? It was a different time; the platform the musician was posting his rants on was still called Twitter and he had just begun to use the name Ye. In the current context, it seems to have taken on more importance.
Read MoreDisgraced televangelist Jim Bakker has pleaded for viewers to send him $1 million, saying his ministry will be shut down if he doesn’t get the funds. Bakker, who was at the heart of a notorious religious financial scandal in the 1980s, said he needs cash now to keep running Praise the Lord (PTL) Network, and his program, “The Jim Bakker Show.”
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