South Africa’s leading religious and cultural groups are pushing back hard against a proposed marriage law — originally aimed at combating discrimination against religious minorities — that would also allow South African women to have more than one husband at one time. Since 91% of South Africa’s 16,000 marriage officers are faith leaders, the voice of religious leaders carries a lot of weight on the issue.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Despite Berlin’s reputation as Europe’s most secular city, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Berliners have sought solace in religious communities and their rituals as a means of connection and control in a time of isolation and confusion.
Read More(OPINION) Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, the head of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, speaks on whether public leaders who support abortion rights in politics should receive the Eucharist.
Read MoreNick Hall founded the Christian ministry organization Pulse to bring Jesus to the next generation in innovative ways, like digital campaigns and local revival events. After training and mentoring young evangelists online during the pandemic, partly on how to spread the gospel on social media, more than a million people have responded — more than the ministry’s previous 15 years combined.
Read MoreNumerous congregations across the U.S. also have opened their buildings — allowing state and county health officials to take over their facilities for varying amounts of time to help inoculate residents. Along with churches, many Christian universities have opened the same services for the community.
Read More(OPINION) Many believed the Abraham Accords of 2020 and other peace agreements would permanently ease the conflict between Israel and Palestine. A scholar of the Middle East says otherwise.
Read MoreA new Holocaust Museum in Porto, Portugal tells the story of the more than 100,000 Jewish refugees who passed through Porto and Lisbon desperate to book passage from the neutral country to the United States during WWII to escape the Nazis.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Sons of Sam,” a new Netflix crime documentary, retells a series of murders in 70s New York City from the perspective of an obsessive journalist who hoped to prove the serial killer David Berkowitz was connected to a nationwide network of satanic killers. It praises the journalist for unfounded claims and neglects to discuss Berkowitz’s Christian conversion, a necessary and inspiring part of his story.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in mourns the loss of two incredible people and journalists: Rachel Zoll and Amy Raymond. Plus, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreAs a minority religion of about one percent Zimbabwe’s population, what most citizens know about Islam in the southern African country is largely based on stereotypes shaped by the media. The Muslim community aims to change that.
Read More(REVIEW) The book offers readers a detailed history of Catholic thinkers, statesman and military leaders who helped the colonists during the American Revolution. Over the course of 12 chapters, author Dan LeRoy delves into what the fight for freedom would have been like without these figures and, almost more importantly, why they felt the need to help.
Read More(OPINION) While culling files from decades of religion-beat work, I have come across a forgotten and seminal article from 2002 that contended the media were distorting public understanding of American politics. It said "religious right" Republicans were blanketed with coverage and turned the tables, contending that "the true origins" of cultural conflict were found in increased "secularist" influence in the Democratic Party.
Read MoreThe Minneapolis Central Church of Christ, led by Russell A. Pointer Sr., is the only predominately Black Church of Christ in the state. The church serves its community, feeding over 200 families a week and more. And, just six miles away from the convenience store where George Floyd was killed, the church has become a center fighting for justice. “The fight has just started,” Pointer Sr. says.
Read MoreThe “God Bless the USA” Bible includes America’s founding documents in its last pages and lyrics to the popular song “God Bless the USA” that became the chorus of Trump rallies. It will ship to customers this September to mark 20 years after 9/11.
Read More(OPINION) A “Liberty Girl” reflects on her years as an undergraduate, master’s student and then track coach at the influential evangelical university that’s been undergoing tumultuous changes for the past decade.
Read More(OPINION) The seventh anniversary of the atrocities committed against the Yazidis in Sinjar, Iraq by the members of the terror organization Daesh (commonly referred to as Islamic State or ISIL) is quickly approaching. There are certain questions regarding the responses to the atrocities that continue to cause concerns. Among them is the question of justice: what is the progress with bringing Daesh to justice?
Read More(OPINION) An Israeli reflects on the recent violence in Jerusalem that has killed at least 30 people, set off when thousands of flag-waving Jewish youth celebrating Israel’s victory over Arabs in the 1967 Six Day War marched down an alley where Muslim activists had arrived during Ramadan to pray at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Read More(OPINION) As news releases about growing Christian prosecution cases in China by the Communist Party, Ochab questions its similarity to the Uyghur crisis. On January 13, 2021, Open Doors, an international NGO advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians, released their annual World Watch List which assesses 50 countries where Christians face the most severe types of persecution. China is in the top 20.
Read MoreThe pandemic has exacerbated the discrimination and social isolation Dalits face. And while many Dalits are on the forefront of essential sanitation work, they are also struggling to survive. Even without contracting COVID-19, many Dalits say with irregular wages and employment uncertainty, they’re concerned about feeding their families.
Read More(OPINION) Clergy need – somehow – to find "personal" time, along with face-to-face contact with loved ones. That challenge became more difficult in the age of smartphones, texting and emails. Then came the COVID-19 lockdowns and the pressures on clergy zoomed to a whole new level.
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