(OPINION) Standard news judgment automatically puts the spotlight on hot disputes in the nation's two largest religious sectors — white evangelicalism and Catholicism. Meanwhile, the media consistently downplay the third-ranking religious category, "Mainline" Protestantism. Do these “Mainliners” hold insights into how to mitigate sexual abuse scandals in churches?
Read MoreAs the pope met with local Christian and Muslim leaders in March 2021, the names of smaller religious groups found in Iraq also made the news. One of these was the Mandaeans. Also called Sabians, they are followers of the last Gnostic religion to survive continuously from ancient times down to the present day.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in explores the role of Christian denominations in taking Indigenous children from their families in Canada and the U.S. Plus, check out all the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) The Census Bureau reports the “unprecedented environment” during the COVID-19 pandemic fueled a boom in “pandemic pods” as well as parents considering virtual schools and home-school organizations beyond the neighborhood public school. The Census Bureau reported home-schooling among Black or African Americans increased by five times to 16.1% of households last fall.
Read MoreThe structure of St. Baglan's Church in North Wales is simple, with plastered stone walls and whitewashed timbers between the slate slabs of its roof and floor. The 13th Century sanctuary was rebuilt in the 1800s, but the carved doorway lintel dates from the 5th or 6th century. An adjacent field contains the 7th Century well of St. Baglan and for ages the faithful sought healing in its waters.
Read More(OPINION) Whether you’re a Catholic or just like to root for the underdog — or both — then you’ll be watching Croatia at this summer’s European Championship.
Read More(REVIEW) “Otherwise/Revival” was co-curated by Cara Lewis and independent curator Jasmine McNeal. It presents the work of 31 contemporary artists exploring the impact that the Black church and, more specifically, the Black Pentecostal movement has had on their lives.
Read MoreReligionUnplugged talked to a sex trafficking survivor in the U.S. about the Christian misconceptions of human trafficking: false, incomplete, misguided, unhelpful and even harmful ideas. She has both praises and criticisms of how American Christians are responding to prostitution… “I feel like the biggest misconception, especially in the Christian realm, is just that it's not the movie Taken in the United States. It can be, but that is the minority. The majority you know, looks very much like chosen prostitution. But it's not.”
Read More(OPINION) The U.S. bishops used their recent spring gathering to urge the church to be welcoming to migrants. In the spirit of Mother Cabrini, the church needs to continue to reach out to immigrant communities. The bishops have pinpointed some of the issues. It’s time now for talk to be put into action.
Read More(OPINION) Faith-based foster care services are one essential element to providing children with loving families in a system where too many children languish. As recent research indicates, there are high turnover and recidivism rates among foster parents, yet more than 80% of foster parents cite faith or church support as an element that contributes to successful and sustained fostering. As the unanimous Court stated in Fulton, “[t]he City apparently prefers to risk leaving children without foster parents than to allow CSS to follow its religiously dictated policy, which threatens no tangible harm.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Following three days of contentious debate, the U.S. Catholic bishops approved a measure on Friday to draft a statement that could deny Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians like President Joe Biden. Here’s what happens next.
Read MoreLocal Muslims believe the new proposed regulations threaten the culture of the Muslim-majority islands and are aimed at furthering the Hindu nationalist agenda of India's ruling party.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the crucial developments at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreKen Starr, known for his investigation into a marital affair by President Bill Clinton, spoke Wednesday on the rights of all people including Christians. His visit coincided with news of a Leesburg, Va., elementary school teacher who was suspended from his job for refusing to refer to a biological boy as a girl and vice versa.
Read MoreIn an unexpected move, the more than 16,000 “messengers” to the Southern Baptist Convention narrowly elected Alabama pastor Ed Litton, known for preaching racial reconciliation, as the new president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Litton ran against the more conservative candidate Mike Stone in a runoff vote. The election signals an ideological divide in the SBC that is far from resolving.
Read More(OPINION) Barring an intervention from Pope Francis himself, the U.S. bishops will consider, and vote on Thursday, a plan for a document about Holy Communion that includes denying the sacrament to politicians who repeatedly support policies advocating abortion rights. That includes President Joe Biden, only the country’s second Catholic commander in chief ever.
Read More(OPINION) While The United Methodist Church debates societal issues — LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, welcome of refugees and the like — its congregations’ real estate is eating away at the denomination and threatening its viability.
Read MoreMore than 16,000 “messengers” of the gospel are gathering in Nashville this week for the first meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in two years. They’re expected to vote on several hot button issues, including women’s ordination, approaches to racial justice, resolving sexual abuse and electing a new president. As a temperature check from the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S, the results may be an indicator of the ideological direction of American White evangelicalism and will likely cause further division within the group.
Read More(OPINION) Rifkin explores his Jewish heritage and religion as he grapples with the death of his son. He explores the cultural tie to traditional burial and how his son opted against it — choosing cremation over a Jewish cemetery.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Southern Baptist Convention will convene its annual meeting on June 15, 2021 amid hemorrhaging membership. Southern Baptists have lost over 2 million members since 2006, with over 400,000 defections in the last year alone. A data-oriented analysis of the SBC’s past resolutions gives insight into the group’s history and trajectory.
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