(OPINION) A church in my neighborhood has a cell phone tower in its parking lot. Some neighbors objected to its construction, but the church, perhaps driven by financial concerns, prevailed. The cell phone tower may be a prophetic witness to the religion of the future, which according to historian Yuval Noah Harari is likely to be data driven.
Read More(OPINION) Misinformation has become an avalanche, burying us all in conspiracy theories, doctored images, and most recently, false claims about the Israel-Hamas war. It challenges us because our decisions as individuals and as a society are only as solid as the information we base them on. How do we make decisions that are good for ourselves and for our communities when misinformation pervades the news and information we consume?
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights plans for the annual March for Life, expected to draw 100,000 abortion opponents to the nation’s capital. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) With all that’s going on in The Southern Baptist Convention, one matter is being ignored. But given the current squabbles and embarrassments, this would seem a good time for the denomination to rebrand itself with a new name. For starters, the “Southern” monicker is no longer accurate. Then there’s unfortunate history to overcome in which the name is enmeshed with slavery.
Read More(OPINION) If you’re still considering making a New Year’s resolution, try kicking the bucket list. I’d never heard of a “bucket list” until the 2007 movie “The Bucket List” was released.
Read More(OPINION) Taking care of a very sick loved one by yourself can be so demanding that it’s difficult for folks who haven’t tried it to comprehend. A caregiver is an amateur trying to do the jobs of a whole squad of pros: nurse, mental health counselor, bookkeeper, maid, legal advocate.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in focuses on the evangelicals supporting Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) My issue with Donald Trump supporters is not political at all. It is spiritual. It is prophetic. It is about the honor of the Lord and the reputation of the Spirit. It is about credibility. And if there is a prophetic word that God is speaking now about the 2024 elections, it is simply this: “Enough already with the Donald Trump prophecies!”
Read More(OPINION) As I get older, I find my resolution for each new year is the same. I don’t need to make a list of resolutions. I just want one thing: Peace.
Read MoreThe first Weekend Plug-in of 2024 looks ahead to the year’s expected big news. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Last year, I wrote about the troubling findings from American Bible Society’s annual “State of the Bible” report. Every study since 2011 has shown that Bible users accounted for around 50% of American adults. However, in 2022, things changed. There was a sudden 10% decrease in Bible users, indicating that “nearly 26 million Americans reduced or stopped their interaction with Scripture in the past year.”
Read More(OPINION) A few years ago, a friend shared a Bible verse with me that has become my annual new year’s resolution. But it comes with a caveat.
Read MoreIn a special year-end edition, Weekend Plug-in counts down the Top 10 most popular ReligionUnplugged.com stories of 2023.
Read More(OPINION) Parents in pews rarely turn to Rolling Stone for advice about pop-culture morality. But the magazine's expose about “The Idol” — a summer HBO series about a romance between a pop starlet and an edgy cult leader — produced waves of viral quotes.
Read More(OPINION) I’ve long predicted that eventually scientists will identify a fundamentalist gene inherent in some people, just as some folks have biological predispositions toward intelligence, heart disease or tallness. Researchers will find this gene blocks its carriers from perceiving philosophical grays, much less a full-color spectrum. Such people have, in effect, spiritual color-blindness. They see everything in stark blacks and whites; they can’t help it.
Read More(OPINION) When it comes to religion news, what ultimately mattered in 2023? The Guy observes that we have no idea whether U.S. hatreds are a temporary sickness that will subside, or whether anything can really alter the essential questions in the decades-long Middle East conflict. Thus, The Guy leans toward the importance of permanent changes in direction as depicted below.
Read MoreA special year-end edition of Weekend Plug-in highlights the best religion journalism of 2023.
Read More(OPINION) Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI declared that “art and the saints are the greatest apologetic for our faith.” A movement was launched to transform painters into “tacit preachers,” wrote Gabriele Paleotti, archbishop of Bologna. The term tacit means wordless. Tacit preachers sought to move viewers in deeper ways than mere argument. Art provided a way to draw people together instead of tearing them apart.
Read More(OPINION) If you knew nothing about a woman who’s the subject of a Post profile, you might imagine she’s enjoyed every advantage — she’s pretty, young, White, popular. You might envy her. If you’re of a certain turn of mind, you might even resent her. And you’d be wrong.
Read More(OPINION) October’s terrorist attack by Hamas and Israel’s overwhelming response unleashed a humanitarian nightmare that’s gripped the world. Real-time images flood our electronic devices. War shapes our lives, sometimes encouraging violence, verbal and physical. Outside war zones, ordinary citizens find ourselves drawn into taking sides. How can we create a better future for our children, ourselves — even for those we don’t know?
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