In accepting the invitation to be Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance could become the nation’s second Catholic vice president, after Joe Biden, should the GOP win the White House this November. Vance is also only the second Catholic GOP veep nominee after Barry Goldwater chose William Miller in 1964. Here’s a deeper look into Vance’s faith and how it has influenced his evolving political philosophy.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The lavish over-use of capital letters in the 2024 Republican Party platform, set for approval at this week’s Milwaukee convention, demonstrates that this is wholly a Donald Trump production. So does the Trumpublicans’ softened stance on abortion, which has dominated the news coverage.
Read More(OPINION) For those who freeze or feel lost concerning the global and local experiences of hate, bigotry, racism, white nationalism, homophobia, ecological devastation, violence, Christian Dominionism, misogyny, poverty, war and the abundance of inhumanity, here are some suggestions about practicing an engaged life.
Read More(OPINION) If just 5% — or 6%, or 7% — of Americans feel committed enough to darken the doors of their churches for even an hour a week, then we no longer need to worry about becoming a post-religion culture. We’re there. Secularization has won.
Read More(ANALYSIS) With politicians from both Labour and Conservative parties visiting Hindu temples and endorsing Hindu manifesto prepared by divisive Hindutva forces, the question is, has the Hindutva identity now intensified in the U.K.? And the bigger question is, will these elected members of Parliament who endorsed the document now allow sectarianism to flourish?
Read MoreArtificial intelligence could organize worship music sets, plan church budgets and perform administrative tasks as well as or better than humans, half or more of Christians said in new research from Barna Group and Gloo.
Read MoreThe movie follows FBI agent Harper Lee who uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to catch a serial killer, played by Nicholas Cage). On her way, she discovers her own connection to the serial killer which forces her to confront her own past to hopefully take him down. The film, directed by Oz Perkins and released by Neon, offers up intrigue — but ultimately goes out of its way to glorify evil.
Read MoreA rally for former President Donald Trump was interrupted Saturday afternoon following what appeared to be gunshots. Trump was speaking at a campaign rally when several pops rang out. After lifting his hand to his ear, Trump ducked to the ground as the crowd behind him scattered.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I am in Iran. The president has died. And they think I did it. Or at least that is what it felt like on the evening of May 20, when news came that Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter was forced to make a “hard landing” in the rugged mountains near Tabriz.
Read MoreDuring this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, host Todd Wilken and I discussed whether these trends might have something to do with the contents of a recent New York Times news feature.
Read MoreWhile religion in public schools keeps making national headlines, “released time” Bible classes are less well known. But they, too, have gained legislative attention in several states recently.
Read More(OPINION) There is a new challenge for pro-life voters as we approach the 2024 elections. On the one hand, it’s impossible for a truly pro-life voter to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate given the radical, pro-abortion stance of that party. That holds true as well for the positions of President Biden, which continue to lurch farther to the left. But now that the RNC has embraced the watered down platform crafted by the Trump team, do we acquiesce and vote GOP?
Read MoreOne of the more unusual places in Delhi is the Charity Birds Hospital on the grounds of the Digambar Jain Temple. The three-story building has been helping sick birds for decades, but has become even more relevant over the last few years given climate change and India’s recent heatwave.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the sporting world and fans await the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games, eight Catholic dioceses in Greater Paris have already ignited their own Olympic flame by organizing the “Holy Games.” The project is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Paris and the French Bishops Conference.
Read MoreAs the effects of climate change become more apparent in Africa and in other parts of the world, eco-anxiety is becoming prevalent. This is true especially in Africa, a continent that is home to a disproportionate share of climate change-related disasters but also has limited resources to deal with them.
Read MoreIndonesia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi officially opened on Wednesday the two-day International Conference on Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy aimed at encouraging dialogue between different faith traditions. The conference hopes to strengthen the country’s respect for religious pluralism, while also addressing a variety of topics for reaching out to other faiths through education programs and human rights legislation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I had a great chance to learn from some new data released by the team who runs the Cooperative Election Study. They surveyed 61,000 folks in the Fall of 2020. Then, they recontacted 11,000 of them in the fall of 2022. Guess what that means? I can tell you how much religion changed at the individual level using a really big dataset. That’s awesome. Let’s get to it.
Read MoreDr. Nina Balmaceda recently finished a project focused on uncovering the story of Peace and Hope International over its first 25 years, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of social and political renewal in Latin America. Her research has focused on the organization's spiritual understanding of love — deeply rooted in its Christian tradition — through political and social responsibility.
Read More(OPINION) I’ve long argued it’s difficult — really, next to impossible — to practice Christianity effectively without becoming (and staying) an active member of a local church congregation. Not only Christianity but the other major faiths are, by intention and maybe by definition, communal pursuits rather than solitary ones.
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