(ANALYSIS) The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have sparked a discussion about whether female Muslim athletes who wear a headscarf should be allowed to compete. While the International Olympic Committee announced that athletes participating in the Paris Games can wear a hijab without any restriction, French athletes will be barred from wearing a hijab.
Read MoreNo one was surprised when the embattled United Methodist Church — after decades of fighting about the Bible, salvation and sexuality — boldly steered onto a progressive course after the exit of 7,659 congregations in America's biggest church split since the Civil War. At least, no one should have been surprised.
Read MoreAs the pandemic receded, churches discovered unexpected benefits to their newly adopted tech. Some even saw the forced change as an opportunity to reimagine church. They brainstormed how to enhance livestream service quality and deepen connections with congregants through online platforms. But others have cautioned against too much tech adoption.
Read More(ANALYSIS) After a decade in power, Modi and his party seemingly overlooked a fundamental question: If Modi is the face of the party as well as its election campaign, what does that face represent? Did they assume his image alone would signify a “guarantee” to the country’s people? If so, they should have highlighted the “guarantees” that were fulfilled and honored. However, they appeared to lack such examples.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I believe that we can probably find an example of the culture war in nearly every era of American history. I haven’t dabbled in too much polling data that centers around issues related to a transgender identity — largely because I don’t have access to polls that include questions on the topic. But the 2023 Cooperative Election Study did ask a three-question battery that I thought was worth some exploration.
Read More(ANALYSIS) While insiders grasped the symbolism of this interfaith affirmation, the news at this pandemic-delayed gathering focused, as expected, on biblical authority and sexuality. This General Conference urgently moved to modernize many UMC doctrines and laws after the exit of 7,659 congregations in America’s biggest church split since the Civil War.
Read MoreIndia’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scored 240 seats in the final tally. It will need the help of its coalition partner, the National Democratic Alliance, to meet the requirement of 272 seats to form the government. Here’s everything you need to know about the election results and what it all means for Indian democracy.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Nightcrawler has always been an explicitly Catholic character in the X-Men comics, and his faith is almost always integral to his portrayal. A lot of that is due to the irony of having a devilish-looking character be so religious. Because he is a largely positive Christian character in a secular brand, you can see what secular people, or religious people who work in mainstream entertainment, think of faith.
Read MoreOver 20 political parties, including Muslim and Christian ones, joined in their objection to the announced results of South Africa’s national elections held last week, citing a myriad of voting irregularities. According to them, the identified irregularities were serious widespread systemic deficiencies and undermined votes cast by millions of South Africans. The parties said they require a recount of votes, while others requested a reelection.
Read MoreThe John Templeton Foundation announced on Tuesday that Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela was named this year’s recipient of the Templeton Prize in recognition for her work around trauma and forgiveness in post-apartheid South Africa. Gobodo-Madikizela, 69, an author and professor, has created a model for social healing in the aftermath of conflict — one that she calls “the reparative quest.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Some U.S. Jews’ involvement in Palestinian solidarity movements began years before the current war. In my research, which included in-depth interviews and participant observation work, activists emphasized that they were inspired to act because of their Jewish identity and values, not in spite of them.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In religion, what goes down can always come up again. American religions continue to face persistent skepticism from elite culture, education and entertainment along with long-term internal damage from sexual abuse scandals and disputes over sexual morality and Trumpism that are not disappearing. Also, stated identity in polls does not make up for sagging in-person attendance and donations that erode organized religion.
Read MoreClaudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won a landslide victory on Sunday to become Mexico's first female president. Sheinbaum, won the presidency with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. She is also Jewish in a country that is majority Catholic.
Read More(OPINION) After his victorious bout in a major combat sports event this past Saturday night, UFC fighter Bassil Hafez said, “There is something I wanna say. I have been having it in my heart for a long time. I don’t support genocide. I don’t support innocent women and children being killed for war and for money and power. We are all God’s children and we all deserve a fair chance in life. Free Palestine.” While Hafez didn’t mention Israel by name, his message was clear. Israel is committing genocide.
Read More(ANALYSIS) This is the question that I have been thinking about ever since Memorial Day: What role do movie theaters play in God’s glorious and fallen creation? Yes, that’s a strange question. Let me explain. Back in my professor days when I taught Introduction to Mass Communication 101, I explained the whole “technology shapes culture” equation (again, think “the medium is the message”) by asking a series of questions.
Read MoreThousands of people from across the globe will descend on the city that’s home to the Eiffel Tower for the Olympics. The IMB has ministered at many Olympics, and volunteers who’ve traveled to the global cities have long been crucial to its ministry strategy. While ministry has been successful, interactions are often fleeting as visitors scatter. That’s where digital engagement strategies come in.
Read More(OPINION) In my observation, core spiritual truths are applicable to nearly every arena of life, not just to religion but also to business, education or politics. They’re as beneficial to those who don’t believe in God as to those who go to church three times a week. I think of these as universal laws. They’re woven into the world we inhabit as surely as the law of gravity. One of these universal truths is the principle of balance.
Read MoreAndrew Root’s “The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms” (Baker Academic, 2023) includes some ponderous writing but a central concept well worth pondering. Root asks us not to think of politics and culture not as a battle of socialistic secularists versus MAGA right-wingers but as a pyramid. Two secular philosophies are on the bottom: “Exclusive Humanists” on the left and “Counter-Enlightenment” on the right.
Read MoreJason and Jennifer Carroll pray for Haiti as the poor, developing nation deals with unrelenting gang violence. Two American missionaries and a Haitian national were killed in an ambush last week.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A new piece of legislation introduced earlier this month would require not-for-profit organizations to report grants they make to foreign entities. The Foreign Grant Reporting Act is authored by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) He says his goal is to bring more transparency into the growing tax-exempt sector.
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