😲 The Giant Religion Trend That Should Be Bigger News 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in starts with a major story that receives too little attention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Islam’s Call To Prayer Is Ringing Out In More US Cities — Affirming A Long And Growing Presence Of Muslims In America

(ANALYSIS) Minneapolis recently became the first major U.S. city to allow the “adhan,” or Muslim call to prayer, to be broadcast from mosques five times a day. In April 2023, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a change to the city’s sound ordinance, effectively eliminating time constraints that previously prevented the pre-dawn and evening prayer calls from being broadcast.

Religion Has Become A Luxury Good For The Middle Class, Married College Graduate With Children

(ANALYSIS) Religion in 21st century America has become an enclave for people who have done everything “right.” They have college degrees and marriages and children and middle-class incomes. For those who don’t check all those boxes, religion is just not for them.

Negative Spaces Have Value In Art, Life And Theology

(OPINION) Many religious traditions value silence as a space where a supreme power might be experienced. “I will come to you in the silence,” promises God at the outset of David Hass’ hymn, “You Are Mine,” sung in both Catholic and Protestant churches. Some religious folk might agree with Beckett that nothing is the ultimate reality.

Some Don’t Like Thinking Of God As Their Heavenly Father

(OPINION) I think the main problem with Christianity specifically and the whole world generally is that many people seem not to ever have comprehended how radically and unconditionally they are loved by the Lord. Musing afterward on my conversations with a young woman, it struck me we’d both arrived at our different images of God from our differing experiences with our earthly fathers.

OpinionPaul PratherJuly 11, 2023Paul Prather, Christianity, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Christian families, Father figureComment

Yes, Protestants Disagree With The Ancient Churches On The Status Of The Siblings Of Jesus

(OPINION) On the age-old but ever-debated topic of whether Jesus had brothers and sisters, The Guy would answer that — as is often the case — it depends on what church is fielding the question. From ancient times, Catholicism and Orthodoxy have said no. But virtually all Protestants since Martin Luther’s time have said yes.

Tatmadaw Targets Religious And Ethnic Communities In Myanmar Yet Again

(ANALYSIS) A new report suggests that the Tatmadaw continues to target religious and ethnic communities. This comes years after the Tatmadaw specifically targeted the Rohingya for annihilation.

The Bible Doesn’t Say Life Begins At Conception

(OPINION) I don’t take abortion any more lightly than I take lightly the indiscriminate nature of promiscuity that appears to have infested our culture. But I still cannot find it in me, or in Holy Scripture, to support a trigger law or pretend that the removal of 12 cells not a nanosecond following conception could justly be deemed “murder.” Yet anti-abortion adherents often tout the slogan “abortion is murder.”

The Unsolved Mystery: Aleppo’s Missing Bishops Haunt the Middle East

(OPINION) The bishops of Aleppo, Syria — Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Metropolitan Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church — disappeared 10 years ago while seeking the release of two kidnapped priests. Their car was surrounded by a pack of armed men as they maneuvered through risky checkpoints west of Aleppo. Their driver died in the gunfire, but a survivor later testified that the kidnappers were not speaking Arabic and appeared to be from Chechnya.

Two Documentaries Portray Religious Groups Capitalizing On Fear And Shame

(OPINION) Two recent documentary series offer distressing portraits of Christian organizations that, although unrelated, appear eerily similar. Both movements gained prominence in part by instilling fear and shame in their members. Both have reaped abuse, scandal and decline.

July 4, 2023: Thoughts About Our Divided United States And Potential For A ‘Civil War’

(OPINION) What ails the United States of America? Why have some serious thinkers even talked about a second civil war? Both journalists and religious leaders should be pondering that on July 4. Consider some recent media coverage.

‘Padre Pio’ Is A Good Film For Those Who, Like The Saint, Can Watch With Pure Minds

(OPINION) “Padre Pio” might not be for most folks. They don’t see the “hidden” knowledge of God in our being created as naked and unashamed. They instead associate all nudity with pornography. That’s because we’re a porn-saturated society. It’s estimated that 46%–74% of men and 16%–41% of women in the US are active pornography users.

How Are Houses of Worship Like Retail Stores? Changing Channels Of Distribution

(OPINION) Houses of worship are in decline. One reason is Americans’ waning interest in religious institutions. Another may be the change in consumer behavior away from the “average” and toward the large, the online and the small but specialized. Houses of worship can develop hope by learning from the experiences of the retail, financial-services and health care industries.

Kentucky Methodists Are Dividing — And Division Is An Age-Old Tradition In Itself

(OPINION) I hate to see Christian groups, whether large or small, break up. But they do. Regularly. It seems fitting to put this development into some historical perspective. Church splits aren’t the exception; they’re the rule. The history of Christianity sometimes seems to be one division after another, endlessly, each split as agonizing for those involved as the previous ones were for earlier generations.

Evolving Journalism Doctrines: Associated Press Adds Clarity On The ‘T’ In LGBTQ+

(OPINION) On June 2, the AP editorial team issued an updated “Transgender Coverage Topical Guide” that’s very timely, and not just because June is Pride Month. This latest update is yet another step to embrace changes linked to the sexual revolution. Meanwhile, the Public Religion Research Institute released a poll showing U.S. opinion is getting more conservative on these matters.

🏛️ A Year After Roe's Overturning, Here's Where The Religious Debate On Abortion Stands 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Wisconsin Court Shouldn’t Confine Religion Within Church Walls

(OPINION) Later this year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will take up the issue of whether a Catholic charity is “religious” enough to qualify for the legal benefits that apply to religious organizations. The major question that the justices will consider is whether the organizations are more “charitable” than “religious.”

Behind the Duggar Smile: Family’s Troubling Connection to Bill Gothard’s IBLP Uncovered

(REVIEW) “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” is the latest docuseries from Amazon Prime that focuses on the family and their connections to the nonprofit organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, created by an unordained teacher named Bill Gothard, who was based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill.

What Has Changed In The DNA Of The Southern Baptist Convention?

(OPINION) The issue isn’t who is a Baptist and who is not. Church historians struggle to count the number of organized Baptist groups, and thousands of Baptist churches are totally independent. The question is whether the SBC’s DNA has changed in ways that will affect local churches, as well as agencies, boards and seminaries at the state and national levels.

Antisemitism Is Alive and (Un)well All Over the Internet Today

(OPINION) Today, “the longest and deepest hatred of human history” shows no signs of abating. This is especially true online, where the worst aspects of humanity get free expression, where conspiracy theories of the ugliest kind abound, and where the most uncredentialed, unqualified person can gain a following. This is fertile ground for antisemitism.

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