This week’s Weekend Plug-in summary highlights the controversy over the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee’s handling of a sexual abuse investigation. Plus, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Comedian Norm Macdonald — who died on Sept. 14 after a secret nine-year fight with cancer — wasn't a typical funny man. He openly identified as a Christian, while making it clear that he didn't consider himself a very good one.
Read More(OPINION) Celebrating the culmination of Sukkot, thousands of ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn held hands and danced in the streets this week with yellow flags proclaiming “the Rebbe” as the Messiah and blue flags proclaiming “Trump 2024.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the Taliban and the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate are taking over the country, the International Criminal Court says it will investigate crimes as they happen for better monitoring and evidence collection. The move may also trigger quicker action and response from international actors after atrocities happen.
Read More(OPINION) What if anything at this point, can religious leaders and religion beat journalists do to call attention to the crisis?
Read More(REVIEW) “Midnight Mass,” a Netflix horror miniseries from creator Mike Flanagan, brings viewers to a small island town visited by a mysterious and charismatic priest and his accompanying “angel.” The show explores the enchanting power of miracles and asks Christians to be careful where they direct their worship.
Read More(OPINION) Why is it that, generally speaking, Jews in different parts of the world tend to lean centrist or right — quite the opposite of things here in the U.S? There is an anomaly when it comes to Jewish voting, but Orthodox Jewish voters are looking more like White evangelicals.
Read More(OPINION) Religious minorities in Afghanistan — Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadis and Christians — still need help to flee the Taliban. Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have intimated that they will allow these Afghans across their borders but only if their transit to other countries is confirmed, a step that the U.S. and U.K. must take quickly.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Journalists at local outlets and religious publications understand the need to cover such incidents. It’s only when there is a trend that national news organizations choose to ignore it.
Read More(OPINION) Those impossible-to-ignore and hard-to-define White evangelicals have, for decades, been the largest and most dynamic sector in U.S. religion. Are we finally witnessing an evangelical crack-up as so long anticipated — and desired — by critics?
Read More(REVIEW) A new Ken Burns documentary on PBS tells the story of the world’s greatest heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, including his friendship with Malcolm X and faith journey to Nation of Islam and then Sunni Islam.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the growing focus on religious exemptions amid pressure to vaccinate more Americans to slow the spread of COVID-19. Plus, check out the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) There’s no need to pile even more scorn on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s “Tax the Rich” dress worn to a $35,000 per head gala. Instead, I want to focus here on the whole “tax the rich” idea. When have we heard this before?
Read More(REVIEW) “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is an empathetic take on the rise and fall of the powerhouse televangelist couple Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain) and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield). Unfortunately, those seeking answers to why powerful evangelicals fall will find none here.
Read More(REVIEW) A quick read at 148 pages, ‘Running For A Higher Purpose’ is the type of book perfect for a world that has been plunged into a pandemic since February 2020 and for those in need of both physical and spiritual assistance.
Read More(OPINION) Hundreds of people who wish to leave remained in Afghanistan and now fear for their lives. Among them are generations of human rights defenders including judges, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists — those who spent years working to make Afghanistan a country that affirms and protects the human rights of all.
Read More(OPINION) The pandemic has left us with questions about the relationship between churches and Big Tech: Could traditional faiths hold rites in virtual reality spaces, along with augmented reality Sunday school classes? Could ancient Jewish prayers chanted by mourners be replaced with waves of comments and clicks?
Read More(OPINION) Today, innumerable dangers are posed by the radical Islamist beliefs of the Taliban. And yet, in more than a few reports and discussions, terrorism is noted while the profoundly religious nature of the new Afghan government remains unaddressed.
Read More(OPINION) We went into Afghanistan 20 years ago to punish the Taliban, and now, thousands of lives and trillions of dollars later, the Taliban run the country. This is as stinging as it is humiliating. And yet it reminds us of a sobering reality: Until Jesus returns, there will always be evil on the planet.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in summary reflects on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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