(REVIEW) A new PBS documentary on the life of Pope Francis that premiered on June 20 presents an hour long overview from his childhood to his papacy. It paints Francis as a reformer of the Catholic Church and a pope who cares greatly for other people.
Read MoreThe controversy and context surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics pose an opportunity to think about the Games through a lens of faith. From a Muslim track and field athlete to Israel’s first surfer, here is a guide to the Games for the religiously-minded.
Read More(OPINION) Members of Congress have abdicated their war powers over the past 20 years, resulting in endless wars that have devastated millions of people’s lives. Now, lawmakers must rectify their mistakes – and those of their predecessors – by repealing the 2002 Iraq AUMF and reasserting their constitutional war powers.
Read MoreWhile his life story is fascinating, heart-warming and remarkable, the religious life of NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo is less well known. The now 26-year-old Giannis became a Christian and devout member of the Greek Orthodox Church as a young person and continues to acknowledge his Christian faith.
Read MoreIn the aftermath of violent protests that rocked South Africa last week, church leaders are pointing those that are searching for answers to the demons of inequality and injustice that have continued to lurk in the shadows of this “Rainbow Nation”.
Read MoreJason Meyer, John Piper’s successor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, has stepped down from his position as pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem’s downtown campus. Meyer is part of a growing exodus of leaders and members leaving Bethlehem, a church with some 4,500 members on three campuses which is seen as a flagship church in Converge, formerly the Baptist General Conference.
Read More(OPINION) Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams says his Christian faith has brought hope and clarity to areas of his life that have proven difficult. He hopes to pass on lessons learned to his players.
Read More(OPINION) The continued death of pastors, imams, rabbis and other spiritual leaders across all religions from the Coronavirus has a devastating effect on the faith of those who took up to them.
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.
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