(OPINION) In early April, the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom called for the release of prisoners of conscience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These prisoners are often detained simply for holding beliefs their government does not recognize. But a prison sentence should not become a death sentence due to the virus.
Read More(OPINION) Too often, the faith community reduces life to a small handful of topics: the gospel, discipleship, giving, kingdom, relationships, mission, community. These are necessary topics. They’re just too few. The Bible also has a lot to say about more practical matters from business to tourism.
Read More(OPINION) No one knows exactly how long the COVID-19 shutdown will continue, but the crisis provides a unique opportunity to look into the past for tips on dealing with the present.
Read MoreThe pandemic has exposed a deep rift between Israel’s 1 million ultra-Orthodox Jews and the country’s other 8.25 million Jewish and Arab citizens. Health minister Yaakov Litzman, who is Hassidic, has been accused of breaking his own ministry’s social distancing guidelines and then meeting with the prime minister and other senior government officials, prompting calls for his resignation from secular society.
Read MoreGilead Sciences, which has raised hopes of a drug to treat coronavirus with some early signs of success in clinical trials, is named after an ancient salve used in Bible times.
Read More(OPINION) Coronavirus is bringing to the fore what is likely to be one of Islam’s most fundamental divides of the next decade: the rift between those Muslims whose worldview is being shaped by the modern world and those who are clinging to a literalist past.
Read More(REVIEW) At a time when the planet is gripped by a pandemic, science and faith have again come into conflict. That nagging age-old question about good versus evil and the role of God and Satan in our lives is the focus of a new book about an Italian priest who went on to become the world’s best-known exorcist.
Read MoreOn the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, our “Weekend Plug-in” columnist catches up with a victim’s mother he last interviewed in April 1995.
Read MoreIndian Muslims are being targeted in different parts of the country following reports that there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at a mid-March gathering hosted by a Muslim missionary society.
Read More(OPINION) A chance to attend an online multi-day silent retreat during the coronavirus lockdown helped this Buddhist author use a time of crisis for greater spiritual growth, self-care and inner joy.
Read MoreCombining Buddhism, Haiku poetry and meditative photography, Tyler Knott Gregson offers insight into coping with chaos, loss and isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic through his experiences struggling with autism. He shares his artwork and his journey with more than 350,000 Instagram followers, self-identified “Chasers of the Light.”
Read More(REVIEW) The new series on Hulu debuting April 15 and starring Cate Blanchett tells the underrecognized story of the counterrevolution in the women’s movement: a battle against Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan’s brand of feminism led by Catholic political activist-lawyer, self-identified housewife and mother of six children, Phyllis Schlafly. Schlafly successfully led a conservative grassroots movement to squash the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Read More(OPINION) A year later, there remain so many unanswered questions about the cathedral’s future, how and when it will be rebuilt and what hurdles remain. The pandemic has shifted attention and journalistic resources away from a story like the status and future of Notre Dame. Journalists are limited in their ability to travel and France remains on lockdown.
Read MoreDays after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day countrywide lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Hindu nationalist-led government ushered in a new residency law for Kashmir, opening up India’s only majority-Muslim region for settlement by outsiders.
Read MoreThe French Father Choux helped his colleagues in normalization-period Czechoslovakia, a time following the 1968 Soviet invasion of the country marked by secret police and threats to clergy. He died at age 74 on April 10, after suffering with a neurodegenerative disease.
Read MoreTanzania is one of several East African countries still allowing religious gatherings, while this Easter weekend marked the steepest rise in confirmed coronavirus cases so far. Churches have been a foundation of trust between communities and government officials, and some say they are the key to disseminating prevention tips like good handwashing practices. But others are teaching that the virus cannot infect a godly person.
Read More(OPINION) Since last year’s church attacks in Sri Lanka, persecution of Christians around the world has only gotten worse. With the spread of coronavirus, this Easter is unlike any other we’ve seen. But there is hope.
Read MoreThe coordinated Easter 2019 terrorist attack in Sri Lanka killed 290 people and injured about 500 others at three churches and three hotels. Survivors struggle to pay for their medical treatment and regain financial stability, despite government compensation, and insist their faith in Jesus has grown even stronger.
Read More(OPINION) As social distancing restrictions tighten, church hierarchies and their parishioners are struggling to reconcile with what is being sacrificed for public health and order.
Read MoreWith a long-trending decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christian, stay-at-home orders are testing churches’ ability to maintain connections with followers or lose more of their flocks. During Holy Week, many churches report higher views online than can fit in their sanctuaries. Some are even hosting virtual activities like an Easter egg hunt to engage kids.
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