New Year’s Eve Celebrates St. Silvester: The Pope Who Changed Christianity

(ANALYSIS) On Dec. 31, while many people are preparing for their New Years Eve parties, some Roman Catholic Christians will also mark the feast day for St. Silvester. Silvester’s era was one of both turmoil and transition for Christians living in the Roman Empire, as some Christian communities emerged from persecution into a powerful alliance with the Romans. His story is intertwined with this alliance, which would change the trajectory of the movement initiated by Jesus three centuries earlier.

Crossroads Podcast: Were There Any Actual Religion-News Stories In 2024?

(ANALYSIS) Almost two decades ago, the reigning editor of The New York Times admitted, during a speech to the National College Media Association, that the world’s most influential journalism cathedral had changed one of its core doctrines.

On Religion: The Top 10 National Faith Stories Of 2024

(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump is returning to the White House, convinced — after a close encounter with an assassin's bullet — that he had God on his side in the election. While opinions differed on that theological question, Trump drew support from voters that frequented pews. Members of Religion News Association selected the presidential election as the year's top national religion story.

India’s Christians Continue To Face ‘Overt And Covert’ Attacks As 2024 Closes

As 2024 draws to a close, the Christian community in India reflects on a year marked by increasing challenges and persecution. Data from various organizations paint a sobering picture of the difficulties faced by this religious minority, which comprises approximately 2.3% of the country’s population of 1.45 billion people.

In Time For Christmas, Biden Commutes Sentences Of 37 Death Row Inmates

Just two days before Christmas, President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he had commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row — converting their punishments to life imprisonment.

Faith Voters, Men, Women And The Gender Identity Debate

(ANALYSIS) In the 2024 presidential election campaign there were hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertising to convince voters to back either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. But there was one spot that ran on television in a seeming loop.

Analysis, Christianity, Health, News, North America, Politics, Religion, SocietyRyan BurgeDecember 21, 2024Ryan Burge, news, gender, religion, men, women, LGBTQ, faith voters, election, gender identity, politics, society, Trump, HarrisComment

DOJ Sues Georgia City for Interfering With Homeless Ministry

The United States Department of Justice filed a complaint against the city of Brunswick, Georgia, on Dec. 16 because of the city’s actions to close The Well ministry to homeless persons. The Well is a faith-based ministry operated by FaithWorks, an organization of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Crossroads Podcast: Will It Be Safe This Christmas For Syria’s Christians?

(ANALYSIS) Anyone who is interested in the roots of Christian history is familiar with the following, drawn from the 11th chapter of Acts. Where is Antioch today? That biblical city now known as Antakya, located on the Orontes River about 12 miles from the Syrian border. The history of the church in Antioch was at the heart of the news in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

In Presidential Election, Many Christian Voters Split Along Racial Lines

President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t have many fans, if any, at the Metropolitan Church of Christ in this urban community south of Los Angeles. No one interviewed at the predominantly Black congregation on a recent Lord’s Day voted for the Republican candidate.

Amid Government Excesses, Kenya’s Catholic Bishops Regain Their Voice

As Ruto’s regime enters a new year struggling to win public acceptance, it is clear that the voice of the Catholic bishops is back and their political clout will increasingly reverberate in the corridors of power.. “A culture of lies is swiftly replacing integrity and respect in government,” said Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, adding, “Kenyans deserve better!”

Watch: A Haven For Refugees in India’s Christian-Majority Mizoram State

Refugee crises have been on the rise in many parts of the world for over a decade, often met with widespread hostility and indifference. Yet, in the midst of this global pattern, Mizoram, a small Christian-majority state in northeast India, has been quietly providing not only aid but a sense of dignity to those fleeing a violent conflict in neighboring Myanmar.

New Global Pew Survey Shows Rising Religious Intolerance

While the global median score on the Government Restrictions Index (based on several factors) held steady in 2022 at 3.0 out of 10, the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government religious restrictions rose to 59, which accounts for 30% of the 198 countries and territories Pew Research Center studied.

Amnesty International’s New Report Finds Genocide Against Palestinians In Gaza

(ANALYSIS) On Dec. 5, 2024, Amnesty International, a nongovernmental organization, published a new report analyzing the situation of Palestinians in Gaza. The report, “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman,” finds that the atrocities perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza amount to genocide.

Patriarch John X Says Christians ‘Not Just Guests’ In Post-Assad Syria

Patriarch John X of Antioch delivered a powerful sermon at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus, addressing Christians in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the takeover by an Islamic rebel group.

The Supreme Court Leads The Way To A New Phase Regarding The Transgender Debate

(ANALYSIS) The Justice Department is in a legal fight against Tennessee and, by extension, all 26 states with laws that forbid or restrict “gender-affirming” transition treatments for youths under the age of 18. Observers of the recent U.S. Supreme Court arguments in this United States v. Skrmetti case figure the Court will favor federalism, allowing states leeway for such limitations.

Special Report: Are Churches Letting The ‘Suicide Capital Of The World’ Down?

Despite this grim reality, church leaders in this nation of 2.3 million are not just in denial about this social crisis — but are also in denial about being in denial, leaving the desperately depressed with no one to give them the much-needed message of hope. Talking about suicide is taboo in many African societies and that includes Lesotho.

10 Catholic Priests Killed In Mexico During Obrador’s Term, Report Says

Ten Catholic priests and a seminarian were murdered during the six-year term of former Mexican President López Obrador that ended Sept. 30, the Catholic Multimedia Center said in its 2024 annual report.

Christians Challenge Law Blocking Religious Colleges From State-Funded Program

Minnesota Christian parents are challenging a state law that blocks certain Christian colleges from a program that allows colleges to enroll high schoolers in tuition-free college credit courses.

What Role Did Evangelicals Play In The 2024 Republican Primary?

(ANALYSIS) Today, I am especially interested in what is happening with the Republican party in a post-Trump America. I have some data that offer a little bit of a window into who evangelicals might vote for when Trump’s name is not on the primary ballot.

A Temple Reborn: Finding Hope and Harmony In Kashmir

Nestled in the serene yet scarred landscapes of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the Arde Nareshwar Temple stood as a silent witness to one of the darkest chapters in the region’s history. For over two decades, its bells were silent, its walls deserted — haunted by the tragic massacre of 24 Kashmiri Hindus also known as Kashmiri Pandits in 2003 that forever changed the narrative of this quaint village.

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