Archeology with implications for biblical narratives is a big story

(OPINION) A major new archeological dig in the holy land is producing discoveries that relate to biblical history. Journalists should pay attention.

Opinion, Middle EastRichard OstlingNovember 7, 2019Israel, En Esur, Biblical Archeology Review, Biblical Archaeology, Robert Cargill, Hershel Shanks, Itai Elad, Yitzhak Paz Dina Shalem, Israel Antiquities Authority, Judaism, Richard Ostling, ChristianityComment

Celebrating Prophet Muhammad's Birthday in Indonesia

(OPINION) A trip to the Sekaten festival reveals a colorful Islamic tradition that is scorned in some Sunni regions, but celebrated with much ado in Indonesia.

Asia, Analysis, Travel, OpinionPaul MarshallNovember 7, 2019Paul Marshall, Indonesia, Indonesian Muslims, Wahhabi Islam, Islam, Muhammad birthday, Prophet Muhammed, Primary Feature, islamophobia, MuslimComment

All the pope's PR men: What's happened to the Vatican press office?

(OPINION) Let’s start with a loaded question. But it’s a questions that journalists really need to ask, because of trends during recent events in Catholic life. Is the Vatican’s press office helping to push a progressive agenda that could forever change the Catholic church?

The Christian roots of journalism are only now being studied

(OPINION) Most people think the Church suppressed freedom of thought until the Enlightenment, and that journalism emerged as the Church lost its power. But researchers have never studied in detail how exactly newspapers emerged from a Christian culture long before other societies, until now.

Analysis, Opinion, ReligionDr. Jenny TaylorNovember 6, 2019Dr. Jenny Taylor, journalism history, christendom, western journalism, christian journalism, fake news, disinformation, truth, Primary Feature, Christianity Comments

Taxing churches a political minefield for Democratic presidential hopefuls

(OPINION) Beto O’Rourke made a statement that excites secular progressives but sends shockwaves through religious communities. How well will the remaining candidates navigate these subjects?

Opinion, North America, PoliticsTerry MattinglyNovember 5, 2019election, Democrats, Beto O'Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Pete, orthodox christians, black churches, John Inazu, The Dispatch, LGBTQ, Terry Mattingly, Christianity, Democratic Comment

Ugandan pastors reject policy requiring official training to start a church

A proposed policy to require pastors to pass through training before opening church is creating controversy in Uganda. The policy is meant to increase financial accountability in religious institutions, but critics say it’s unconstitutional and could spell trouble for religious freedom.

Africa, NewsJohn SemakulaNovember 5, 2019John Semakula, Museveni, Uganda, National Policy on Religious and Faith-Based Organization, evangelicals in Africa, Africa, Primary Feature, Christianity, Secondary Feature Comment

The persistent campaign against U.S. police training in Israel

A progressive Jewish activist group is working to end programs that send U.S. police to Israel for training, citing concerns about racial profiling and invasive surveillance techniques. The Anti-Defamation League, one of the most prominent Jewish groups fighting discrimination in the U.S, funds these programs.

Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Endorse Zionist Media Center in Jerusalem

The new center, meant to “defend Israel’s brand,” will even feature a Donald Trump exhibit.

Middle East, News, North America, PoliticsLiza VandenboomNovember 3, 2019Israel, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Elizabeth Vandenboom, Zionist, Friends of Zionism, Golan Heights, Trump Heightss, Syria, Jerusalem, Primary Feature, Secondary Feature, Judaism Comment

Kavanaugh a year later: How much of a conservative Catholic is he?

A year after the faithful Catholic Supreme Court justice was confirmed, he remains a polarizing figure politically during the Trump era.

China’s campaign to silence Americans (and religious freedom)

(NEWS ANALYSIS) From corporations to schools, Chinese campaigns of intimidation are turning American institutions into propaganda outlets for the Chinese Communist Party.

Asia, Analysis, Politics, North America, OpinionDr. Robert CarleOctober 31, 2019Robert Carle, China, Hong Kong, Primary Feature, Secondary Feature, Religious Freedom, Christianity, Muslims, Buddhists, Buddhism, Islam

Collection of essays aim to explore the philosophy behind Francis' papacy

(BOOK REVIEW) Discovering Pope Francis is in a way an opportunity for fans of this papacy to defend him. It also tries to lay out common ground between those who may be liberal or conservative politically, but also Roman Catholic.

Europe, Politics, Religion, Books, Culture, OpinionClemente LisiOctober 30, 2019Christianity, Catholic church, Clemente Lisi, Vatican, Pope Francis, Clergy sex abuse, evangelicalsComment

Its Caliphate and leader are gone, but ISIS is still dangerous

The terror organization lost its territory and its caliph. Its ideology will be much harder to defeat, say those who have studied the group’s evolution and theology.

Conflict, Middle East, Religion, NewsMicah DanneyOctober 30, 2019Syria, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, ISIS, Iraq, Islamic State, Caliphate, caliph, Primary Feature, Islam, Muslims, Secondary Feature, Micah DanneyComment

A look back at the Catholic ghost of Wizard Clip

In 1794, a traveler stopped at a farm and asked for shelter. When he fell sick, he begged for a priest to visit, but the Lutheran household refused. The man died. Things were never the same for Middleway, West Virginia.

Our monetized thinking has produced ticking time bombs

(OPINION) William Wilberforce saw slavery for what it was when most of England only saw what it was doing for them or what they didn’t do for it. Our “financialized” attitudes about climate change and other crises requires his moral courage.

Opinion, Europe, North AmericaMichael MetzgerOctober 29, 2019Clapham Sect, climate change, William Wilberforce, Michael Metzger, Capitalism

A major survey of young American Protestants provides clues about the future

(OPINION) There will be significant decline in traditional affiliations, but not disintegration. Perhaps more interesting is an evolving perception of God.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingOctober 28, 2019Protestant, Mainline Protestantism, Evangelicals, Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church, Oxford University Press, nones, Tim Clydesdale, Kathleen Garces-Foley, Richard Ostling, Christianity, Protestants

Catholicism at a crossroads: 3 takeaways from the Amazon Synod

(OPINION) The battle for the future direction of the church was played out among the bishops who participated in the synod aimed at addressing issues affecting Catholicism in the region of the Amazon that encompasses a great swath of South America. It’s ramifications, however, could very well impact the global church.

In Photos: India Celebrates Diwali, The Festival of Light

One of the largest Hindu festivals is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and other faiths. In India’s capital, Diwali featured a laser show to discourage firecracker smoke, which in past years has polluted the city with days or weeks of smog.

Asia, News, Primary Feature, ReligionAvinash GiriOctober 27, 2019India, Avinash Giri, Diwali, Delhi, Primary Feature, Lord Ram, Rama, Sita, good and evil, deepawali, Hinduism, Hindus, Secondary FeatureComment

A year after the Pittsburgh attack, an interfaith gathering calls for 'knowing each other'

Faith leaders in New York gathered to remember the victims of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. The shooting was part of a larger trend that continues to threaten Jews and others in American society and around the world.

Other nations should follow Germany's lead on ISIS prosecution

(OPINION) A husband and wife are being tried for their roles in the campaign of atrocities that ISIS, also known as Daesh, committed. Their prosecutions should serve as models for other justice systems.

Opinion, Europe, Middle EastEwelina U. OchabOctober 25, 2019Nadia Murad, ISIS, Daesh, Germany, war crimes, human trafficking, Yazidi, Amal Clooney, Higher Regional Court of Munich, genocide, Ewelina U. Ochab, Islam

Kashmiri schools and small businesses remain quiet as shutdown nears third month

Kashmiris are keeping shops closed and their kids home from school in a mass civil disobedience movement to show that life is not going back to normal after India stripped the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy from its constitution.

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