Posts in Opinion
Notre Dame fire follows wave of vandalism at French churches

(COMMENTARY) Before Monday’s fire in Paris, a string of arson cases and other acts of desecration took place inside Catholic churches in France during Lent. In a country with a recent history of terrorism, these incidents somehow didn’t warrant any kind of attention from American news organizations. Even major outlets with a presence in Paris failed to adequately do so.

Read More
Disruption to U.S. religious retail brings many story leads

(COMMENTARY) The closing of the Southern Baptist Convention’s LIfeWay Christian Resources is just one example of how religious stores are grappling with what products they can or should sell and how to compete with online retailers.

Read More
Pope Benedict and Cardinal Sarah provide leadership in the age of Francis

(COMMENTARY) Again, it was conservative Catholic media that proved to be the preferred mouthpiece for Cardinal Robert Sarah and Pope Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI over the past week. Both men — with help from right-leaning news organizations — have been very vocal about the problems plaguing the church.

Read More
'Mayor Pete,' the Democratic primary and rise of 'alt-Catholics'

(COMMENTARY) While many Christians of various denominations have had to reconcile church teachings with that of who they prefer at the ballot box, the issue has not been fully explored in the mainstream press. At a time when pandering to one side is better for the bottom line, such journalistic discoveries of this grey zone are left underreported. Is covering both sides fueling political polarization?

Read More
Searching for Catholic symbolism in 'The Godfather'

(COMMENTARY) Amid all the immorality, crime, violence and ultimately Michael Corleone’s final despair (for anyone who could sit through The Godfather III), this isn’t just a series of mob movies. The Godfather book and movie trilogy is loaded with religious symbolism.

Read More
After mosque attacks, Christian persecution remains controversial

(COMMENTARY) Much violence and discrimination against Christians globally goes unnoticed in newspapers. This could be seen with US Vice President Mike Pence’s recent remarks - hardly reported - condemning religious persecution of both Muslims and Christians.

Read More
Muslim leader Yahya Cholil Staquf: Need to address 'problematic elements of Islamic orthodoxy' after Christchurch attack

There has been little real learning from the New Zealand mosque attack that could shape what we do in the future. However, on Mar. 24, there was a remarkable article in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph that suggests at least one way forward.

Read More
Tony Dungy’s new book examines the 'SOUL' that goes into a winning team

(COMMENTARY) In his latest book, Soul of a Team, co-written with Nathan Whitaker, the great football coach Tony Dungy asks the question: “What separates the truly great teams from the mediocre ones?” His answer can be found in “four simple yet highly effective principles — selflessness, ownership, unity, and larger purpose.” Those four principles form the acronym S.O.U.L.

Read More
Are American Evangelicals Using Russia To Fight Their Culture War?

(ANALYSIS) The most interesting figure in the culture wars today may be Patriarch Kirill from the Russian Orthodox Church, which with Russia has been promoting traditional Christian agendas on sexuality and abortion. This weekened the international non-profit World Congress of Families, founded by a Russian and an American, is hosting its annual meet to promote a pro-Christian worldview, conservative gender roles, anti-abortion policies and a hetero-normative agenda.

Read More
Actor Andrew Rannells misses an opportunity to seriously address clergy sex abuse in new book

(COMMENTARY) In his new book, actor Andrew Rannells reveals that a Catholic priest sexually assaulted him during confession and later at his home following a graduation party. Too Much is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood is where Rannells goes into detail about his childhood experiences at a Jesuit high school in Nebraska.

Read More
After New Zealand mosque attacks: what are religious persecution levels around the world?

(COMMENTARY) Religious persecution of Christians is more than at any other time in modern history, while other groups like Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Jews also suffer discrimination and violence in different regions of intolerance.

Read More
March Madness 2019: Finding God at the NCAA basketball tournament

(COMMENTARY) These God connections aren’t always easy to spot during March Madness. The TV coverage or your local newspaper’s sports section aren’t always there to point them out. It’s often something a player or coach will say in postgame news conferences — and highlighted by Christian news organizations — that thrusts faith into the limelight.

Read More
Former BBC journalist writes about liberal bias in 'The Noble Liar'

(OPINION) Broadcaster Robin Aitken says the BBC is so biased, it’s already helped destroy the religious and moral foundations of British culture. Can he be serious?

Read More
Ongoing questions linger on who knew what and when regarding McCarrick

(COMMENTARY) The big story remains who knew what and when. Who’s implicated in potentially covering up the misdeeds of now-former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick over the years? The implication here is that the cover-up — if that’s the word you want to use — goes beyond Pope Francis, but back in time years to when Saint Pope John Paul II was the head of the Roman Catholic church.

Read More
ISIS’s final battle will not blot out its brutal legacy

Surviving Yazidis and Christians in Iraq and Syria will remember their people’s genocide for generations. And in the aftermath of ISIS attacks, help and hope are still in very short supply.

Read More
What do Christians around the world think about gay clergy and marriages?

(COMMENTARY) After the United Methodist Church’s decision to uphold its ban on same-sex marriage and clergy by only a narrow margin, what’s the status on other church policies globally?

Read More
March Madness 2019: Catholic schools look to maintain winning tradition

(COMMENTARY) Can a Catholic school once again win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament? If the past is any gauge, the odds are very good that a few Catholic institutions of higher learning will emerge as contenders over the next few weeks.

Read More