Posts in Opinion
Neurodivergency, Christianity And The Renewal Of All Things

(OPINION) Temple Grandin says that without a major shift in how we learn, one that values neurodivergent people and all visual thinkers, American innovation will be stifled. If you’re a Christian, that ought to be of interest to you.

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The Haunting Final Sermon Of Cardinal Pell

(OPINION) Cardinal George Pell had no way to know, as he rose to preach during a spiritual retreat in southern Italy, that this was his last sermon — opening with the biblical cry, “Repent, because the Kingdom of God is near.”

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NHL Jersey Debacle Shows You Must Bow at the LGBTQ Altar or Else

(OPINION) Provorov is just the latest example of this reverse bigoted, small-minded, judgmentalism which leaves us with only one ethical choice: We will continue to love our LGBTQ+ neighbor as ourselves and we will refuse to back down on our convictions regardless of cost or consequence. That’s what Jesus would have us do.

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Two Leaders Of The New US House Could Put Baptist Diversity In The News Spotlight

(OPINION) By coincidence, both party leaders in the U.S. House are now Baptists, a faith that outside the South has generally been underrepresented among the political elite. Catholics — think Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, Paul Ryan — monopolized the speaker and minority leader posts for much of the 21st century.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Was A Saint, But Also Just A Man — That’s The Glory Of It

(OPINION) We’d prefer saints come wrapped in pure polished gold (or at least carved from alabaster), ready for mounting on a church shelf or a plinth in a public square. Sadly for us — and for our religious and civic saints, too — nobody, not even the greatest among us, navigates life on Earth without amassing dings, tarnish and cracks.

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🍼 March For Life Coincides With 50th Anniversary Of Roe V. Wade 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the state of the anti-abortion movement 50 years after Roe v. Wade — and seven months after Roe’s overturning. Plus, as always, catch up on all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.

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Holy Water And Orthodox Memories Of A Vase Of Fresh Flowers

(OPINION) After the Christmas season and before Lent, Orthodox priests have — for centuries — rushed to visit church members’ homes to bless them with prayers and splashes of holy water flung about with a foot-long brush or handfuls of basil.

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Eros (Sexual Desire) Is Both Vice And Virtue — Rooted In Creation

(OPINION) Sin and guilt remind us eros didn’t die, but it’s disfigured. It’s not ruined as Nietzsche claimed. Eros can be redeemed as it’s both/and — a virtue since God created it while a vice since we corrupted it. Human desires, including eros, are inherently very good.

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🕎 At The Anniversary Of Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis, A New Report On Antisemitism 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights a new report on rising antisemitism in the U.S. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Pope Benedict Lived His Life With Europe In The Rearview

(OPINION) In a rite before the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Vatican officials placed unique symbols of his pontificate inside his cypress casket, along with a scroll in Latin describing his ascent to the Chair of St. Peter. Old tensions surfaced during Pope Benedict’s funeral and the events — or the lack thereof — surrounding it.

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Gen Zers Are Religious, And Their Mental Health Depends On It

(ANALYSIS) A new study from Springtide Research Institute not only suggests that popular narratives about Gen Z’s abandonment of religion aren’t the full story but also that religion and spirituality can contribute to flourishing mental health among this generation.

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The Persecution Of Christians Keeps Surging Around The World

(OPINION) The 2022 report from the Open Doors organization says “persecution of Christians has reached the highest levels” since it began accumulating data for its annual “World Watch List” three decades ago. Hostile incidents have increased by 20% since just 2014, and some 360 million Christians, or 14% of the worldwide total, are said to have faced persecution, harassment or discrimination.

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🚀 Launching The New And Improved Weekend Plug-in 🔌

This week we launch a new and improved version of Weekend Plug-in, the best roundup of religion news you’ll find anywhere. The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is our big story.

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No. 1 US Religion News Story? The Fall Of Roe V. Wade

(OPINION) Churches were always active in abortion debates, with some embracing centuries of doctrine on the sanctity of human life and others becoming strategic abortion-rights supporters. Thus journalists in the Religion News Association named the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as the year’s top American religion-news story.

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The Best Of Religion Unplugged 2022: Our Top Stories Of The Year

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights ReligionUnplugged.com’s best stories and projects of 2022, as selected by the senior editors. Plus, check out the Top 10 most-shared editions of Plug-in from this past. year.

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This Christmas, Some Churches Need To Think About Widowers

(OPINION) Refuge Widowers retreats last three days, with volunteers, including several widowers, helping newcomers share their stories in a safe setting. The goal is to create a network that lives on through calls, texts, emails and online small-group sessions. Many of the conversations focus on the needs of the men’s children.

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Advent Reflections On Religious Freedom And Pluralism

(OPINION) The advent of my own motherhood brought with it a deepening appreciation of the incarnational elements of religious freedom. My family is a living testimony to the religious freedom this country affords, at its best. And yet, there is more to do.

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