On abortion, Trump and Buttigieg clash with some political allies

(OPINION) The President and one of the leading Democratic candidates have ideological differences with some of their most important potential supporters exposed by their rhetoric about one of the nation’s most divisive issues.

Opinion, Politics, North AmericaTerry MattinglyFebruary 6, 2020Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Pete, Donald Trump, Trump, President Donald Trump, abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, Marist Institute for Public Opinion, March for Life, Terry Mattingly, Abortion, ChristianityComment

Election 2020 coverage needs to look at Catholics as being 'politically homeless'

(OPINION) A few things happened in January that have set the mood for the Iowa caucuses that took place Monday, the official start of the primary season. One of the biggest took place about 1,000 miles east of Des Moines, in Philadelphia, when Archbishop Charles Chaput was replaced by Nelson Perez.

Analysis, North America, Opinion, Politics, Religion, SocietyClemente LisiFebruary 5, 2020Clemente Lisi, religion, Christianity, Catholic, abortion, immigration, Republicans, DemocratsComment

Nigeria is a killing field of defenseless Christians

(NEWS ANALYSIS) A recent report found that Islamic terrorist groups killed at least 1,000 Nigerian Christians last year and displaced many others with land grabs. While the government says it has defeated Boko Haram, killings of Christians have spiked in recent weeks.

West African Christians face Islamic terror as US weighs troop withdrawals

(OPINION) West Africa’s Christians are suffering extraordinary levels of violence at the hands of radical Islamist killers, while the Pentagon is deliberating withdrawing troops from the region.

Newsrooms should learn the denominational complexity of US Christianity

(OPINION) News organizations are trying to catch up to how religion is influencing American politics. Coverage would improve if more reporters understood the subgroups that comprise blanket terms like Protestant and Catholic.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingFebruary 3, 2020journalism, Christianity Today, Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Pew Research Center, Richard Ostling, ChristianityComment

Rabbi Sacks: Anti-semitism is a product of political and digital trends

(OPINION) Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks urged religious and political leaders to understand how current trends feed the scapegoating of a people who have endured persecution throughout history.

Opinion, Europe, North AmericaTerry MattinglyFebruary 3, 2020Andrew Neil, Jeremy Corbyn, Jews and Judaism, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, BBC, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Labour Party, Terry Mattingly, Anti-Semitism, JudaismComment

As anti-semitism increases, let's revisit the fundamentals of Judaism

(OPINION) Jews and non-Jews alike often have varying ideas of what it means to be Jewish. Dennis Prager, the religiously and politically conservative Jewish author and commentator, offers his version of the basics.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingJanuary 31, 2020Judaism, Jewish, anti-semitism, antisemitism, racism, Dennis Prager, Orthodox Judaism, Richard Ostling, Anti-SemitismComment

A journalist's faith: New memoir tells how justice prevailed in civil rights era murders

(OPINION) “Race Against Time,” which hits bookstores Tuesday, reflects the deep Christian faith of veteran Mississippi journalist Jerry Mitchell, whose stories have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. (“Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.)

Two Cheers for Trumpism: R.R. Reno's 'Return of the Strong Gods'

(REVIEW) R.R. Reno is one of America’s most prominent Roman Catholic public intellectuals. In his new book, he writes an eloquent but unAmerican defense of American populism.

Africa’s Young Christians Face Danger from Islamic Extremism

(OPINION) An ongoing Islamic extremist project to exterminate Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is even more brutal and more consequential for the Church than it is in the Middle East. Is anyone paying attention?

Opinion, Politics, Religion, AfricaNina SheaJanuary 29, 2020Nina Shea, Islamic State, Islamic extremism, Africa, Christians in Africa, ISIS, ISIS in Africa, radical Islam, terrorism, Primary Feature, Christianity, Islam Comment

Challenging Holocaust denial is growing ever more important

(OPINION) Social media is forcing a global reckoning over disinformation. Narratives that deny or distort Holocaust history represent some of the gravest consequences of allowing “alternative history” to take root.

Opinion, EuropeEwelina U. OchabJanuary 28, 2020holocaust, Auschwitz, Nazi Germany, Jewish, Judaism, antisemitism, anti-semitism in Europe, Holocaust denial, Anti-Semitism, Ewelina U. Ochab, Holocaust Comment

The fight over gay rights is playing out in a Supreme Court case

(OPINION) Traditional religious institutions are defending their policies on sexuality in two notable cases. One is the lawsuit that is the first of its kind, and the other will see the Supreme Court rule on whether federal prohibitions against sex discrimination can be applied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingJanuary 28, 2020Fuller Theological Seminary, American Baptist Churches USA, Supreme Court, gay rights, Nathan Brittsan, gay marriage, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Richard Ostling, Gay Rights, U.S. Supreme Court, Obama Administration, Judaism, Christianity, IslamComment

The church as a creative minority

(OPINION) There’s an ongoing debate between historians. Can civilizations be restored? Or do they invariably die? Oswald Spengler, a German historian, said all civilizations are born, grow, and then age, decline and die. No exceptions. Arnold Toynbee disagreed. Civilizations have a spiritual dimension. They can be restored. But only a creative minority can do it.

Opinion, North America, EuropeMichael MetzgerJanuary 28, 2020Mike Metzger, church, creativity, innovation in the church, Western civilization, Michael Metzger, ChristianityComment

Ignoring Kobe Bryant's Catholic faith results in incomplete look at his life

(OPINION) All but forgotten — as well as underreported by the news media since Sunday’s tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., that killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others — was his Catholic faith and how getting closer to it made him a better person.

North America, Primary Feature, Religion, OpinionClemente LisiJanuary 27, 2020Catholic, Christianity, Kobe Bryant, basketball, religion, opinion, Clemente Lisi, Primary Feature, primary feature, Opinion, RIP Kobe Bryant Comments

Collective Action Against Anti-Semitism Still Needed 75 Years After Auschwitz

(OPINION) This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day aims to reflect the “continued importance of collective action against antisemitism and other forms of bias to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere.”

Europe, OpinionEwelina U. OchabJanuary 27, 2020antisemitism, Jewish history, Auschwitz, 75 years holocaust, Holocaust, WWII, Ewelina U. Ochab, Anti-Semitism, Judaism, anti-semitismComment

'Holy Silence' tries to get into the mind of Pope Pius XII during World War II

(REVIEW) Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the film Holy Silence focuses on the pontificate of Pius XII and whether the pope did enough to help Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II.

Secular-Only School Choice Is No Real Choice For Parents

(OPINION) A recent Supreme Court case highlights an unconstitutional ban on Montana state funding, rooted in anti-Catholic bias in the 1800’s, to religious schools that otherwise meet requirements for scholarships.

Opinion, North America, PoliticsEmilie KaoJanuary 26, 2020religious freedom, free exercise, religious school, Supreme Court, SCOTUS, Catholic schools, Justice Roberts, Emilie Kao, Secular, anti-Catholic, Christianity Comment

How the SBC sex abuse scandal turned a city hall reporter into a full-time religion writer

(OPINION) Come April, Downen’s work on the “Abuse of Faith” project could earn him and his colleagues a Pulitzer Prize. For now, it has resulted in a new gig for the former City Hall reporter. (“Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.)

Pro-life activism extends to issues beyond abortion

(OPINION) Human trafficking, immigration and poverty are all linked to unplanned pregnancy. Sermons are necessary methods of communication to explain what those links are and how members of the church can help.

Opinion, North AmericaTerry MattinglyJanuary 23, 2020abortion, pro-life, human trafficking, Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, Florida State University, March for Life, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Psalm 139 Project, roe v wade, Terry Mattingly, Christianity, Pro-life, Activism, Abortion Comment

Examining Rudy Giuliani's complicated Catholicism

(OPINION) President Donald Trump’s impeachment is underway in the U.S. Senate, something that has dominated news coverage in recent days and will continue to do so. While Trump is at the center of the Senate trial, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is a key figure in all of this as well.

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