(OPINION) Ravi Zacharias, known for turning "apologetics" (defense of the Christian faith) from defensive bombast to intelligent and personable persuasion through books, countless personal appearances worldwide and the global team of some 100 speakers he built — died last May. Though, the coverage of multiple sex scandals he was involved in during his lifetime still stains the news today.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Serbian Orthodox Church elected Patriarch Porfirije after its former leader died of COVID-19. Porfirije has won many international accolades for growing a drug addiction therapy program and building bridges between Serbs, Croatians and the people of Kosovo, a disputed Muslim-majority territory with many 13th and 14th century Serbian Orthodox holy sites.
Read More(OPINION) Evangelical megachurch leader, Max Lucado, spoke about the trials of 2020 and the coronavirus during his recent sermon streamed online by the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. last Sunday. This invitation to speak alarmed legions of Episcopalians opposed to his history of orthodoxy on sex and marriage to trigger an online storm.
Read MoreAfter fleeing violence 31 years ago, dozens of Kashmiri Hindus returned to the Himalayan valley to see their childhood temple reopened. Their temple and others have been maintained by Muslim neighbors and protected from militant violence and the land mafia. “I believe if I safeguard the temple, God will keep me safe, it’s my duty to do that,” caretaker Mohammed Sideeq said.
Read MoreA February survey shows that non-Christians in the U.K. have developed a more positive view of the church since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Read MoreFazlun Khalid has worked for decades to raise environmental consciousness among Muslims and demonstrate what he sees as the inherently ecological nature of Islam and the environmental worldview it espouses.
Read More(OPINION) Increasingly, everyday citizens are falling prey to the cancel culture mob. But how can we reverse cancel culture? Some biblical principles can help.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religion angles related to the winter storm that left millions without power in Texas. Plus, catch up on all the week’s top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) As churches shifted to virtual services during the COVID-19 crisis, much of evangelicalism transferred to the Internet. In a Barna study, researchers asked the question, is this virtual work being done during the pandemic going to actually bring people through the doors when the church opens back up?
Read MoreVolunteers with the North Texas Jeep Club are partnering with OpenDoor Church in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex to provide transportation, food and shelter to the elderly as Texas faces widespread power outages.
Read MoreBerliners are debating renaming Pacelliallee – a major street named after Rome-born Eugenio Pacelli, better known as Pope Pius XII, to honor former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978). Pius XII served as a Vatican ambassador in Berlin and has been accused of anti-Semitism and sympathizing with Nazis during the Holocaust. Meir was Israel’s first and only female prime minister.
Read More(OPINION) Conservative Christians propose that the final day of Trump’s campaign to overturn President Biden’s Electoral College victory involved religious “heresy” or “apostasy.” A survey by the conservative American Enterprise Institute shows 63% of White evangelicals think Biden’s win was illegitimate, despite the numerous federal and state court rulings that found no evidence for Trump’s claim of a “sacred landslide.” But to what extent were Christians implicated in the Capitol mayhem?
Read More(ANALYSIS) A 2020 survey helps us understand just what matters most to Americans’ identities: politics or religion. The results are not exactly what this data journalist anticipated.
Read More(REVIEW) New PBS documentary “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song” gives a complete history of the church — from slavery to the modern Black Lives Matter movement — and focuses on charismatic worship and Gospel music.
Read MoreAccording to a new Pew Research study released Feb. 16, one in five Black Americans (21%) are not affiliated with any religion and instead identify as atheist, agnostic or religious “nones.” The trend towards secularization is continuing to grow with each new generation.
Read MoreThousands of migrants and asylum seekers who left Myanmar for better opportunities in Malaysia are facing uncertain deportation. After Myanmar’s coup, the new military regime announced it would send three ships to collect 1,200 citizens from a Malaysian detention center that houses both migrants and asylum seekers. If deported, religious and ethnic minorities would return to the persecution in Myanmar that they fled.
Read More(REVIEW) Church historian Massimo Faggioli's new book “Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States” offers background of the three previous times a Catholic candidate has been the nominee for the highest office in the land and why Biden's candidacy and now presidency comes at a particularly fraught moment for not just American Catholicism but the global church.
Read MoreOn Feb. 14, President Joe Biden reestablished the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships — an office largely ignored by the Trump administration — and announced Melissa Rogers as executive director, who served the same role in the Obama administration. The office was created by President George W. Bush two decades ago to improve communication with and ensure equal access to government funding by faith-based and secular civil society organizations helping local communities, in part to reduce the need for welfare spending.
Read More(OPINION) How do you define anti-Semitism? Jews are wrestling with this idea as President Biden handles international relations with Israel. This leaves Jews asking, what constitutes fair political criticism of Israel and what is unfair — or biased — criticism of Israel that bleeds into hateful anti-Semitism?
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in explores the U.S. Supreme Court’s order stopping California’s ban on indoor worship in most of the state, while allowing a 25 percent capacity limit and a prohibition on singing and chanting. Plus, catch up on all the top reads in the week’s religion headlines.
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