Many leaders of faith-based adoption and foster care agencies anticipated the outcome of the case of Fulton v. Philadelphia, which pitted a Catholic foster agency against the city over whether faith-based organizations can decline to place children with adoptive same-sex couples according to their religious beliefs. Several say they were encouraged both by the protection of the Philadelphia charity’s religious freedom and by the unanimity of the decision.
Read More(OPINION) The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s largest Muslim organization, recently welcomed the new leader of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). The two groups aim to further Muslim-Christian relations and counter threats to religious freedom and secular extremism.
Read MoreAmid a second wave of COVID-19 infections and low vaccine access in Uganda, the country has imposed a nationwide lockdown ending July 30 that has pushed nearly all activities online. Now, since July 1, the government has introduced a 12% tax on Internet data that was already expensive in the country, which is constraining church members’ ability to access online worship at a time when physical gatherings are banned.
Read MoreRecently, the supreme court made declined to say whether or not a flower shop owner could refuse same-sex weddings.
Read More(REVIEW) The movie “The Divine Ponytail” packs a lot in just 91 minutes and doesn’t ignore Roberto Baggio’s Buddhist faith and how it helped motivate the former Italian soccer star at the World Cup and beyond.
Read More(OPINION) Recent polls show that mainline Protestantism is surpassing evangelicals in the United States. However, this piece explores the complexities of this data, and the ways in which important aspects are often overlooked.
Read MoreA small Yiddish music workshop in the 1990s became a wild success. So composer Alan Bern founded what is now known as Yiddish Summer Weimar, a five-week summer institute and festival for the study, creation and performance of Yiddish culture and music in the heart of Germany.
Read More(OPINION) There have been fires at 10 Canadian churches — mostly Catholic ones — and multiple acts of vandalism this summer. Why? That’s the question more mainstream journalists should be asking. So why not ask it?
Read MoreThe University of St. Thomas in Houston is launching a uniquely Catholic MFA program with literary stars like Rod Dreher, California’s poet laureate Dana Gioia and Jessica Hooten Wilson. Few Christian colleges and universities - Protestant or Catholic - have developed MFA programs in the past.
Read MoreSolidarity with Israel among evangelical Christians has evolved for the last decade while one man reigned over the Holy Land. After his stinging defeat, Christian leaders are trying to heal the fractures it created.
Read More(OPINION) A narrowly-framed Supreme Court victory — the Fulton v. Philadelphia case — will allow Catholic Charities (at least for now) to preserve religious conscience and avoid placing foster children and children available for adoption with same-sex couples, despite the city's non-discrimination statute. However, this does not settle the many similar legal disputes the media will be covering the next few years.
Read MoreCapitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. has reached a $220,000 settlement with the District of Columbia and Mayor Muriel Bowser in a civil case filed over the District’s restrictions on gatherings at places of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Chosen” season two is not as strong as its first season. It rushes scenes and narrative arcs and lacks the multi-episodic drama of the first season. But these weaknesses don’t strike to the essential strengths of the show: a show that portrays a Jesus and disciples faithful to scripture and embraces creativity in the art form.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Recent data released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) showed that US mainline Protestants outnumber evangelicals for the first time. But that conclusion was immediately met with skepticism online. Here’s why.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On July 9, 2021, South Sudan will celebrate its 10th anniversary of independence – but it does so amid concern over violence in the young nation. Recent attacks on two Catholic priests have also put a focus on the role of the church in South Sudan. The country’s freedom was achieved after two lengthy civil wars against its now northern neighbor, Sudan, in which religious identity played a key role.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights recent news coverage of plagiarism in the world of faith. Plus, catch up on all the week’s top religion news and best reads.
Read MoreA hit squad of gunmen killed Haiti’s president this week, pitching the small Caribbean nation into a state of lawlessness and emergency. Outside the capital, a U.S. Christian mission team of teens and adults is going ahead with their plans, helping local churches host Vacation Bible School activities for kids in the community.
Read MoreMany congregations had to cancel VBS in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that vaccines are being distributed and restrictions are easing, some churches are putting the summer program back on their calendars.
Read More(OPINION) An unmarried Catholic school teacher was dismissed from her position because she became pregnant through engaging in premarital sex. While religious freedom should include the right to remove an employee violating the school’s faith standards, the school could have handled the case of an unwed mother choosing life over abortion much differently.
Read More(OPINION) Cracks inside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops widened with the election of President Joe Biden, a rosary-carrying Catholic who – in word and deed – has evolved into a fierce defender of abortion and LGBTQ rights.
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