This week’s Weekend Plug-in includes the announcement of finalists for the Religion News Association awards, plus coverage of mask mandates and churches, the death of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis and other top headlines from the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Jesus wasn’t white, though he’s represented that way in art, TV and movies. Does that mean Christians should stop viewing and endorsing these representations?
Read More(OPINION) Over the weekend, African-American activists were arrested in New York for pouring black paint over a Black Lives Matter mural. Some have lauded it as a courageous act, and others have dismissed it as no more than vandalism of public art.
Read More(OPINION) As Americans go from the racial reckoning that has engulfed America for the past two months to the start of the general election season, vandalism involving the burning of a church or the decapitation of a Jesus statue can become highly symbolic and significant.
Read More(OPINION) Part III of a series. Many who claim to be anti-fascist don’t understand the historical implications of the term. Fascism manifests itself on both ends of the political spectrum.
Read More(OPINION) Recent violence and hate crimes in Ethiopia has parallels to pre-genocide Rwanda with many lessons: the further we stray from faith, the further we stray from justice.
Read More(OPINION) Part II of a series. There’s a difference between a revolution and a total revolution, the latter justifying any means to achieve justice. Total revolution marks a human attempt to reach beyond their own limitations.
Read More(OPINION) Only two popes throughout history have had “great” added to their title. Many believe that Pope John Paul II should be the third to receive this honor.
Read More(OPINION) What stood out to me most in regard to Lewis was that he put principles over politics and for that he was respected by Republicans and Democrats. At the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign I learned during a gathering President George W. Bush hosted at the White House it wasn’t certain that Lewis was going to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.
Read More(OPINION) The killing of George Floyd and the riots following his death have perpetuated the idea that a burning of America must happen to create justice. But this violence does more dehumanizing of all parties than it does good.
Read More(OPINION) Imagine if Zeus, Poseidon, Hera or others lived in the U.S. today. How would the ancient gods and goddesses identify in modern politics and culture? Their wisdom and weaknesses fit into the modern religious and secular landscape surprisingly well.
Read More(OPINION) Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan’s decision to convert the ancient Christian church Hagia Sophia into a mosque is indicative of his dislike of Christians. However, the building still remains a safe space for Christians worldwide.
Read More(OPINION) An Israeli Jewish journalist proposes a solution to offending monuments that’s straight out of the Old Testament.
Read More(OPINION) The media and the American public are engaging in bigger debates than ever about cancel culture, marking a tumultuous time in culture and for the news media.
Read More(OPINION) Baseball is deeply ingrained in American life, from the ritualistic way viewers consume the sport to the faith of the individual players. Bryan Steverson, author of "Baseball: A Special Gift from God," talks about the spiritual role of baseball.
Read More(OPINION) Recent Supreme Court decisions have dealt heavily with LGBTQ rights and religious exemptions for these rights. It presents mainstream journalists with a test: to manage fair coverage of religious traditions that resist both same-sex relationships and gender identity as a replacement for DNA biology.
Read More(OPINION) The July 8 Supreme Court decision allows religious institutions to choose teachers who align with their spiritual commitments. This is especially important for minority faiths like Judaism and Islam.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in explores news coverage of churches as superspreaders of the coronavirus, plus top reads on a megachurch investigation, a Washington, D.C., church’s history and the faith angle on Kanye West’s potential White House bid.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For all the fallout caused by the virus (and how various states have handled it) and the divisions in this country around issues like race, the presidential election could — once again — be decided by a handful of majority Catholic counties in four states by voters who care about abortion and religious liberty.
Read More(OPINION) Take a look back at “The Bible Code,” the 1997 book that claimed that the Hebrew Bible’s text contained secretly coded, uncanny predictions of phenomena across the subsequent thousands of years that could only be revealed through modern computers. Did it ever prove anything?
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