Posts in North America
Pam Mark Hall: the Christian music singer ostracized by divorce is back at it in her 60s

Hall’s divorce came before her contemporaries Amy Grant and Sandi Patty, whose careers didn’t suffer the same way. Now, Hall hopes to inspire others in her generation who feel anxious about reaching the end of their lives and accomplishments.

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Searching for Catholic symbolism in 'The Godfather'

(COMMENTARY) Amid all the immorality, crime, violence and ultimately Michael Corleone’s final despair (for anyone who could sit through The Godfather III), this isn’t just a series of mob movies. The Godfather book and movie trilogy is loaded with religious symbolism.

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After mosque attacks, Christian persecution remains controversial

(COMMENTARY) Much violence and discrimination against Christians globally goes unnoticed in newspapers. This could be seen with US Vice President Mike Pence’s recent remarks - hardly reported - condemning religious persecution of both Muslims and Christians.

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Muslim leader Yahya Cholil Staquf: Need to address 'problematic elements of Islamic orthodoxy' after Christchurch attack

There has been little real learning from the New Zealand mosque attack that could shape what we do in the future. However, on Mar. 24, there was a remarkable article in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph that suggests at least one way forward.

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Experts examine the state of religious liberty in America

Sohrab Ahmari, current op-ed editor of the New York Post; Mark Rienzi, Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School; Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik of Congregation Shearith Israel in Manhattan; and Dr. Jacqueline C. Rivers, the Executive Director of the Seymour Institute on Black Church and Policy Studies discussed upholding religious freedom in the US at a recent event hosted by The King’s College and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

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Tony Dungy’s new book examines the 'SOUL' that goes into a winning team

(COMMENTARY) In his latest book, Soul of a Team, co-written with Nathan Whitaker, the great football coach Tony Dungy asks the question: “What separates the truly great teams from the mediocre ones?” His answer can be found in “four simple yet highly effective principles — selflessness, ownership, unity, and larger purpose.” Those four principles form the acronym S.O.U.L.

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New Film 'Unplanned' Tells Former Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson's Story

A new film tells Abby Johnson’s journey from being an award-winning director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas to becoming an outspoken pro-life advocate.

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Are American Evangelicals Using Russia To Fight Their Culture War?

(ANALYSIS) The most interesting figure in the culture wars today may be Patriarch Kirill from the Russian Orthodox Church, which with Russia has been promoting traditional Christian agendas on sexuality and abortion. This weekened the international non-profit World Congress of Families, founded by a Russian and an American, is hosting its annual meet to promote a pro-Christian worldview, conservative gender roles, anti-abortion policies and a hetero-normative agenda.

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Actor Andrew Rannells misses an opportunity to seriously address clergy sex abuse in new book

(COMMENTARY) In his new book, actor Andrew Rannells reveals that a Catholic priest sexually assaulted him during confession and later at his home following a graduation party. Too Much is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood is where Rannells goes into detail about his childhood experiences at a Jesuit high school in Nebraska.

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After New Zealand mosque attacks: what are religious persecution levels around the world?

(COMMENTARY) Religious persecution of Christians is more than at any other time in modern history, while other groups like Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Jews also suffer discrimination and violence in different regions of intolerance.

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March Madness 2019: Finding God at the NCAA basketball tournament

(COMMENTARY) These God connections aren’t always easy to spot during March Madness. The TV coverage or your local newspaper’s sports section aren’t always there to point them out. It’s often something a player or coach will say in postgame news conferences — and highlighted by Christian news organizations — that thrusts faith into the limelight.

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This year's Purim carnival set off more than firecrackers in Israel

(NEWS ANALYSIS) Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked released a satirical perfume ad jabbing at leftists who call her fascist, the country’s largest English daily labeled Israel’s democracy a joke and President Trump upended decades of U.S. policy in one tweet.

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Ongoing questions linger on who knew what and when regarding McCarrick

(COMMENTARY) The big story remains who knew what and when. Who’s implicated in potentially covering up the misdeeds of now-former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick over the years? The implication here is that the cover-up — if that’s the word you want to use — goes beyond Pope Francis, but back in time years to when Saint Pope John Paul II was the head of the Roman Catholic church.

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What do Christians around the world think about gay clergy and marriages?

(COMMENTARY) After the United Methodist Church’s decision to uphold its ban on same-sex marriage and clergy by only a narrow margin, what’s the status on other church policies globally?

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March Madness 2019: Catholic schools look to maintain winning tradition

(COMMENTARY) Can a Catholic school once again win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament? If the past is any gauge, the odds are very good that a few Catholic institutions of higher learning will emerge as contenders over the next few weeks.

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Pilgrimage: Fort St. James National Historic Site

A unique bed and breakfast where one can experience life in 1896 is in a Canadian fort named after a saint in central British Columbia. Fort St. James is the only national park in the country where people can sleep in historic dwellings, making it one of the best-kept secrets of the Canadian parks system.

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Pilgrimage: Inside New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral

New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is considered one of the most visible symbols of Roman Catholicism in the United States. It takes up an entire block in the center of the city and at the heart of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

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Big trend piece to consider: Could the Catholic church in New York file for bankruptcy?

(COMMENTARY) Whether Cardinal George Pell of Australia was found guilty because of anti-Catholic bias is one theory, but the overall takeaway here — editors and reporters take note — is that this case may serve as a bellwether of more to come.

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