Posts in Religion
'Racy picture' of Liberty's Jerry Falwell Jr. sparks curiosity and controversy

This week’s Weekend Plug-in summary explores the story behind a controversial selfie that Jerry Falwell Jr. posted on Instagram and then quickly deleted. Also, find links to the week’s best reads in the world of faith news.

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Race to be the next pope: New book details the possible candidates

(REVIEW) The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates by the National Catholic Register's longtime Rome correspondent Edward Pentin delves into the lives of the cardinals most likely to follow Francis.

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90+ finalists were named for religion news awards. Why 1 stands out.

This week’s Weekend Plug-in includes the announcement of finalists for the Religion News Association awards, plus coverage of mask mandates and churches, the death of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis and other top headlines from the world of faith.

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Catholic churches vandalized: Where's the national press coverage?

(OPINION) As Americans go from the racial reckoning that has engulfed America for the past two months to the start of the general election season, vandalism involving the burning of a church or the decapitation of a Jesus statue can become highly symbolic and significant.

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Remembering Rep. John Lewis As A Man Of Faith Who Inspired Others

(OPINION) What stood out to me most in regard to Lewis was that he put principles over politics and for that he was respected by Republicans and Democrats. At the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign I learned during a gathering President George W. Bush hosted at the White House it wasn’t certain that Lewis was going to endorse Hillary Clinton for president.

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ESPN basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes channels success through Christianity

(REVIEW) Jimmy Dykes’ new book isn’t just one long series of motivational speeches. Instead, he focuses on how people can strengthen their relationships with one another — the perfect recipe for any team’s success — along with serving God.

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Churches as superspreaders: Worship connection to COVID-19 making news

This week’s Weekend Plug-in explores news coverage of churches as superspreaders of the coronavirus, plus top reads on a megachurch investigation, a Washington, D.C., church’s history and the faith angle on Kanye West’s potential White House bid.

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Election 2020: Catholic voters in these states could decide the presidential race

(ANALYSIS) For all the fallout caused by the virus (and how various states have handled it) and the divisions in this country around issues like race, the presidential election could — once again — be decided by a handful of majority Catholic counties in four states by voters who care about abortion and religious liberty.

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Pope Francis preaches about 'unbiased' journalism: Is the American press listening?

(OPINION) Pope Francis, who has consistently drawn the ire of Catholic media on the doctrinal right, gave his view of what the religious press should look like in the United States.

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Hall of Famer Rod Carew talks faith, COVID-19 and, yes, baseball

In an interview with Religion Unplugged, baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew — author of the new memoir “One Tough Out” — talked about his complicated faith, protests in his home city of Minneapolis and why he’s not a fan of baseball returning before there’s a coronavirus vaccine.

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Celebrating America: Why we honor Columbus and ignore Vespucci

(OPINION) As Italians gained in power, Columbus Day officially became a U.S. federal holiday starting in 1968. Amerigo Vespucci, however, is barely mentioned in American classrooms.

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As Americans celebrate Fourth of July, fireworks in the world of religion news

As Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, Weekend Plug-in marks its six-month anniversary and offers its usual lineup of insight, analysis and top headlines from the world of religion news.

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Rod Carew’s memoir a look into how Judaism impacted his life

(REVIEW) What former baseball star Rod Carew has done is put together an all-star book to tell his story of sacrifice and hard work. But, above all, he writes about his complicated faith and the intersection of Judaism and Christianity, two religions near to his spiritual awakening.

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Trump vs. Biden: Four months before Election Day, religion angles abound

With Election Day four-plus months away, religion angles abound on the race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Find links to some of the week’s most interesting faith-and-politics news in the latest Plug-in.

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Catholics divided by BLM ahead of 2020 elections

Progressive Catholics like Martin Gugino see it as their role to help the United States achieve racial equality. Traditional Catholics, however, see Black Lives Matter as part of a sinister force that wants to spread Marxist ideology. While Catholics agree that racism is an issue in American society, the proposed remedies for those ills differ wildly.

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