Evans, known for her progressive take on the faith, was only 37 when an infection quickly turned fatal. Her last blog post, about Lent and before she announced any illness, was a reminder that we will all return to dust.
Read More
Scholars have deciphered lines of text on a partly broken and illegible tablet that most closely resemble the king’s name rather than the phrase “House of David,” adding historical credibility to the Book of Numbers.
Read More
Jews, Christians and Muslims have buried their loved ones in Jerusalem’s Bab al-Rahma Cemetery for hundreds of years, but more recently Israel has banned burials, citing the need to protect Jewish antiquities. Now, Palestinian families who claim to own the land are suing Israel.
Read More
At a recent event in New York City, a Christian astronomer and astrophysicist discussed the existence of aliens and how they fit into God’s plan as outlined in the Bible.
Read More
There’s one thing people on the left and right can agree on in this contentious political climate: showcasing a Muslim woman in a hijab and burkini in the pages of Sports Illustrated can be a controversial concept.
Read MoreIn the wake of the Easter terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, we spoke to Nishan De Mel, the executive director of Verité Research in Colombo, for a deeper analysis of who’s behind the attacks, what they may want, what they were targeting, and what this all means for South Asia and Sri Lanka’s religious groups and stability.
Read More
(NEWS ANALYSIS) Reports claim that more than 40 Nigerian Christians were killed in the week leading up to Easter, and many more remain missing. Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari was quick to send condolences to Sri Lanka, but slower to respond to Islamist attacks on Christians in his country.
Read More
Thousands of Eastern Orthodox pilgrims crowded in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday for the Easter ceremony at Jesus’ burial and resurrection site. Some believe a flame miraculously comes from heaven into Jesus’ tomb.
Read More(COMMENTARY) Iran’s nefarious intentions and activities are being closely scrutinized by the Trump administration and have led to crippling sanctions on Iran’s oil exports. And now U.S. waivers – which permitted eight specific countries to purchase Iranian oil despite existing sanctions – will not be renewed in May 2019.
Read More
Ethiopian Jews make up only two percent of Israel’s population, but they account for 40 percent of the public discrimination complaints. The art show “The Color Line” draws inspiration from the Black Lives Matter movement and the African-American writer W.E.B. Du Bois.
Read More
The 21-year-old Rohingya refugee is inspiring girls to study more and aim higher. She wants to become a human rights activist to speak up for the rights of Rohingya people, a stateless, Muslim-majority ethnic group from Myanmar.
Read More
What would Jesus eat? Some of the world’s oldest Lenten bites, from Israel to India, are still sizzling. Others are cultural adaptions to fit the Lenten fast with local ingredients.
Read More(NEWS ANALYSIS) In the wake of the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, insightful reporting of the event and reflections of its significance could be found across Twitter a day after the catastrophic blaze. Here are eight perspectives that stood out to us.
Read More
(COMMENTARY) Before Monday’s fire in Paris, a string of arson cases and other acts of desecration took place inside Catholic churches in France during Lent. In a country with a recent history of terrorism, these incidents somehow didn’t warrant any kind of attention from American news organizations. Even major outlets with a presence in Paris failed to adequately do so.
Read More
Every six months, before Passover in April and the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah in September, thousands of written prayers are picked out from the crevices of the wall to make way for new ones. The old notes are buried.
Read MoreA Mexican Catholic order is creating a $100 million pilgrimage retreat in Israel for Mary Magdalene devotees, with a special emphasis on feminism in the church. A biopic film on Jesus’s female follower will be released April 12 in the U.S.
Read More
(COMMENTARY) Again, it was conservative Catholic media that proved to be the preferred mouthpiece for Cardinal Robert Sarah and Pope Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI over the past week. Both men — with help from right-leaning news organizations — have been very vocal about the problems plaguing the church.
Read More
(NEWS ANALYSIS) India’s general election opens polls April 11 to May 19, with the final count expected May 23. Leaders of India’s minority faith communities are telling their flocks to elect candidates committed to pluralism and respect for everybody’s faiths amidst growing intolerance blamed on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party.
Read More
Judge Noach Dear, an Orthodox Jew, and his court attorney Deema Azizi, a Syrian Muslim refugee, prefer to wear their religious garb - a yarmulke and hijab respectively. Their shared expressions for their faiths unites rather than divides them.
Read MoreThe Catholic church - as much a symbol of nationalism as religious struggle and freedom - is a mix of history and modernity, with LED-lit pillars and tombs for saints and fallen government officials. A museum dedicated to Poland’s most famous Catholics, Pope John Paul II and Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, is set to open next month.
Read More