Posts in Opinion
How Billy Sunday traded his bat for a Bible and came to love New York

(OPINION) There are plenty of baseball players who openly practice Christianity, but Billy Sunday is unique in that he exchanged his bat for a Bible and embarked on a career as a preacher, capitalizing on his time as a ballplayer to generate interest in his revivals.

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What's more Christian: Capitalism or socialism?

(OPINION) It’s an old debate. American attitudes about the country’s economic system are shifting. The issue isn’t black or white, and religious thinkers are weighing on from a variety of denominations and worldviews.

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Prisoners of Conscience freed due to COVID-19

(OPINION) In early April, the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom called for the release of prisoners of conscience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These prisoners are often detained simply for holding beliefs their government does not recognize. But a prison sentence should not become a death sentence due to the virus.

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There is a false dichotomy between theological and practical questions

(OPINION) Too often, the faith community reduces life to a small handful of topics: the gospel, discipleship, giving, kingdom, relationships, mission, community. These are necessary topics. They’re just too few. The Bible also has a lot to say about more practical matters from business to tourism.

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Social distancing tips from Christian church tradition

(OPINION) No one knows exactly how long the COVID-19 shutdown will continue, but the crisis provides a unique opportunity to look into the past for tips on dealing with the present.

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Coronavirus is highlighting the rift in Islam

(OPINION) Coronavirus is bringing to the fore what is likely to be one of Islam’s most fundamental divides of the next decade: the rift between those Muslims whose worldview is being shaped by the modern world and those who are clinging to a literalist past.

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Devil in detail: Italian exorcist describes his lifelong battle against demons and the occult

(REVIEW) At a time when the planet is gripped by a pandemic, science and faith have again come into conflict. That nagging age-old question about good versus evil and the role of God and Satan in our lives is the focus of a new book about an Italian priest who went on to become the world’s best-known exorcist.

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Buddha at the door: Coronavirus lockdown opportunity for spiritual practice

(OPINION) A chance to attend an online multi-day silent retreat during the coronavirus lockdown helped this Buddhist author use a time of crisis for greater spiritual growth, self-care and inner joy.

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Phyllis Schlafly cast as feminism’s anti-hero in new series ‘Mrs. America’

(REVIEW) The new series on Hulu debuting April 15 and starring Cate Blanchett tells the underrecognized story of the counterrevolution in the women’s movement: a battle against Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan’s brand of feminism led by Catholic political activist-lawyer, self-identified housewife and mother of six children, Phyllis Schlafly. Schlafly successfully led a conservative grassroots movement to squash the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

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Notre Dame anniversary coverage: Which news outlets had the best coverage?

(OPINION) A year later, there remain so many unanswered questions about the cathedral’s future, how and when it will be rebuilt and what hurdles remain. The pandemic has shifted attention and journalistic resources away from a story like the status and future of Notre Dame. Journalists are limited in their ability to travel and France remains on lockdown.

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This Easter, Christians worldwide are fighting not just COVID-19 but persecution too

(OPINION) Since last year’s church attacks in Sri Lanka, persecution of Christians around the world has only gotten worse. With the spread of coronavirus, this Easter is unlike any other we’ve seen. But there is hope.

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This journalist did her job: She hopes it didn't expose her to COVID-19

The 27-year-old San Antonio Express-News reporter hopes her dedication to her profession didn’t expose her to the coronavirus.

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Christian and Muslim gatherings are Africa's greatest risk of spreading COVID-19

(OPINION) Many churches and mosques in Africa are continuing to hold religious gatherings, some with government approval, despite the imminent threat of the novel coronavirus.

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Finding answers to the pandemic in the writings of Saint Pope John Paul II

(OPINION) Who’s to blame for the coronavirus pandemic? It’s not really a difficult whodunit to figure out. Just look to a system that rejects God and freedom: China’s Communist Party for the culprit.

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How the Black Death built the modern West

(OPINION) Coronavirus is not the world’s first pandemic. The Black Death in the 14th century brought sweeping changes in Europe: the loss of people to the plague gutted the Church of its most faithful clergy, allowed survivors in lower classes to fill higher social positions and even encouraged innovation to replace the lost human labor with machines, including the printing press that made possible the Protestant Reformation.

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Large companies are complicit in Chinese religious liberty violations

(OPINION) The Chinese Government facilitated the transfer of Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities from Xinjiang to factories in various parts of China, and big companies have profitted from the forced-labor.

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