(OPINION) The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a muted document last fall that did little to please activists on either side of the church’s wars about abortion and politicians in pews. But one passage set the stage for the current clash between Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and a member of his flock — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Read More(OPINION) Both the Hebrew Scriptures — Christians’ “Old Testament” — and the New Testament are full of admonitions that believers in God insofar as able must help the poor and needy. However, that does not necessarily tie Jesus to socialism, since believers can practice charity in a capitalist context just as readily, if not more so.
Read More(OPINION) The most strictly religious Jews — the mystical-oriented Hasidic followers of historic rabbinic lineages and the “mitnagdim,” Hasidism’s more intellectually focused religious critics — suffered some of the worst losses in the Holocaust. But a new survey says that by 2040, if their current growth rate persists, about a quarter of the world’s Jews will likely be Haredi.
Read More(OPINION) In devastating fashion, the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has been accused of a massive cover-up of sexual sins. As evangelical followers of Jesus, because of our failings and scandals and carnality, the name of the Lord is being mocked and ridiculed. This is heartbreaking on so many levels.
Read MoreA special Monday edition of Weekend Plug-in highlights Sunday’s big news: the release of a 288-page investigative report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Russia’s security strategy gives prominent weight to concerns about traditional religious values. Diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the West to end the war in Ukraine will likely center on some of these concerns for many years to come.
Read More(REVIEW) You may have never heard of the school, but that’s what makes their story an even better one. Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas has the numbers and alums to prove it is a powerhouse. Now there’s a new documentary that takes viewers into what makes this school so special.
Read MoreKansas’ Hall of Men has meetings offering beer, cigars, an open bar, some kind of “guy food” and lots of chatter around a giant wooden table. But then there are the evening prayers, icons, Bible readings and lectures about authors whose portraits hang on the walls — C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, W.H. Auden, Dorothy Sayers, Fyodor Dostoevsky, J.R.R. Tolkien and many others.
Read More(OPINION) An authentic practice furthers a happiness founded on deeper meanings, whereas an inauthentic practice may only provide fleeting pleasure or temporary relief.
Read More(OPINION) The mass shooter in Buffalo targeted not just Black Americans. He was a Jew-hater as well, actually calling for Gentile Americans to declare war on American Jews.
Read More(REVIEW) Emerging from a small sect within Judaism, early Christianity absorbed much of the religious, cultural and philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world at the time. A new book looks at the centuries that followed the crucifixion of Jesus, which were ones of intense persecution. Christianity would eventually flourish and become the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Read More(OPINION) In May 2022, United Nations officials — including Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — are to visit Xinjiang, China, to investigate the allegations of serious human rights violations. This is the first time in over a decade that China is to host the U.N. human rights chief.
Read More(OPINION) The idea that pro-lifers don’t care for babies after they are born has been a convenient slander hurled against pro-life Christians. But more than 2,500 pro-life pregnancy resource centers are committed to helping women make life-giving choices, and they often support these women for years after their babies are born.
Read MoreIs it hard to be a Christian and a journalist? Is it possible to be a Christian and a journalist? This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights recent first-person pieces that explore these questions. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith?
Read More(OPINION) Naomi Judd had battled through waves of anxiety attacks to address some dark realities — such as rape, crisis pregnancy and her battle with hepatitis C that retired the Judds. What she hadn’t discussed was the sexual abuse in her childhood that led to treatment-resistant depression.
Read MoreWeekend Plug-in features a reporter roundtable on this week’s bombshell news: the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would reverse Roe v. Wade. Plus, as always, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) With the barrage of horrors from Ukraine, it wasn’t hard to distinguish between the messages released by the Eastern Orthodox leaders of Russia and Ukraine to mark Holy Pascha, the feast known as Easter in the West.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Tuesday, a preliminary draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked to Politico, revealing that the court — as of February — intended to overturn Roe v. Wade. What does the leak mean for the court and America, and how have faith voices responded?
Read More(OPINION) According to an exclusive story on Politico, the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade when ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson in June. But what happens if Roe is overturned? Then we will walk straight into an impassioned, even frenzied, potentially violent ideological civil war, one that could quickly divide America into pro-life states vs. pro-abortion states.
Read More(OPINION) Organized American Judaism — not unlike other American faith traditions — is in the midst of a shakeup. The latest evidence of this was the recent announcement that Reform Judaism’s first rabbinic seminary, in Cincinnati, will soon cease ordinations at the end of the 2026 academic year.
Read More
