The Widest Story Ever Told: How the Modern Christian's View of Sin Restricts Faith

(OPINION) Modern Christianity tends to focus on sin — how if we believe in God and have faith that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, we will defeat death and have eternal life. In a more “spousal” reading of scripture, Metzger finds that the concepts in the Bible can be much wider.

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The Third Party Fishing For Dissatisfied Christians

American third parties like the American Solidarity Party are enjoying a wave of interest this election as voters become more frustrated by the two-party system and choosing between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. In a political climate where Christians often find it impossible to cast a vote without compromising at least a few of their religious convictions, the ASP hopes to convince them that they can be the answer.

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A delay in burial divides Muslim community in Uganda

A delay in the burial of a prominent Ugandan politician has divided the country’s Muslim community, with many arguing that burial must take place within 24 hours despite relatives needing to travel from abroad during a pandemic.

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Ensuring An Equal Future For Girls Around The World

(OPINION) The United Nation’s International Day of the Girl Child uplifts young girls in countries where they are historically oppressed, many of them as religious minorities, to rise above gender-based violence, harmful practices and HIV and AIDS. This turns them away from harmful practices like child marriage.

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No anti-Catholic sequel: Democrats avoid the dogma at Barrett's hearings

At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Democrats steered clear of Barrett’s religion, even as Republicans focused on it. This week’s Weekend Plug-in has that news, plus all the top headlines and best reads from the world of faith.

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Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Inside the religious fight for Nagorno-Karabakh

(ANALYSIS) What was a nominally a little-known conflict regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region — also known as Artsakh — claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan has erupted into a full-scale war with an estimated thousands of soldiers on both sides killed in intense fighting.

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What I Wish My Christian Friends Knew About the News Media

(OPINION) Sure, we make mistakes. We have blind spots and faulty assumptions. But many of the criticisms are off the mark: they misunderstand what journalism is about; they feed a growing sense that there is no agreed upon reality and set of facts to which we can all refer; and, as a Christian I fear they reflect poorly on people who say they love the truth.

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White Christians Favor Trump, Other Religious Groups Lean Toward Biden

Many are tracking the way religious voters will vote in the upcoming election. Pew Research has published new data and analysis of these groups, noting that White Christians still lean toward Trump. They also offer analysis of the way religion has impacted past voting and approval ratings of President Trump.

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New Super PAC Begs Christians Not To Vote For Trump

Dubbed Not Our Faith, the PAC’s leaders include Billy Graham’s granddaughter Jerushah Duford and former aides and advisors from both sides of the aisle. The leaders of the PAC argued Thursday that Trump has denigrated the Christian faith and harmed migrants and refugees.

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‘Chinese female Jesus’ stalks Indian youth on social media, alarming church leaders

A Chinese church now operating out of New York claims Jesus returned as a woman in China, upsetting Christian leaders in India wary of the group’s appeal among young Christians.

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Jesus and Wi-Fi: Alaska church helps students during pandemic

When public schools in Alaska’s capital of Juneau moved to virtual classes because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some students were unable to access their schools. The Juneau Church of Christ opened its annex building to provide Wi-Fi and tutoring for Glacier Valley students, who are required to wear masks and maintain 6 feet of social distance.

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Trump and Biden make pitches to very different Catholic voters

(OPINION) Joe Biden and President Donald Trump used this year's virtual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner to preach to Catholic voters in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida. The event produced few headlines, coming a mere six hours before Trump announced his positive test for COVID-19.

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An Evangelical’s Guide To QAnon: Inside one of the most talked about Internet groups

(ANALYSIS) QAnon is one of the most talked about groups populating the internet. Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms continue to ban users and groups from their platform for spreading QAnon ideals, which they have labeled as violating their policies on hate speech. What does the group actually believe? Are they a threat to you or our country? And why are evangelical Christians so often associated with the group?

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Nigerian boy jailed for blasphemy offers hope, despite holes in media coverage

(OPINION) An uplifting story from The Washington Post about a young Nigerian boy brought hope during times of uncertainty in many religious communities. Other news sources tried to continue telling the story, but the religious angle seemed underdeveloped.

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'I Will Not Stay Silent': Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong Struggles Against the Vatican

Zen, who recently returned to Hong Kong from a trip to the Vatican, has no higher authority on Earth to appeal to in his fight to save his country’s church from infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party.

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The spiritual ramifications of the fly that landed on Mike Pence's head

This week’s Weekend Plug-in may bug you a little bit. We’re going to talk about the fly that landed on Mike Pence’s head during Wednesday’s night vice presidential debate. And as always, we’ll highlight the week’s top religion headlines and best reads.

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Meet the Belgian Buddhist training entrepreneurs

Bart Weetjens believes training CEOs and entrepreneurs to connect with something in the universe bigger than the bottom line will make them better and happier human beings who will then create happier, more compassionate employees, too. His own study of Zen Buddhism led him to create and sustain a successful landmine clearance project across Asia, using trained rats.

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