(ANALYSIS) Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, stereotypes that associate Muslims with terrorism go far beyond depictions in newspapers and television. Recent research raises the alarm about rampant Islamophobia in digital spaces, particularly far-right groups’ use of disinformation and other manipulation tactics to vilify Muslims and their faith.
Read MorePope Francis told the media aboard his papal plane that he has never denied Holy Communion to anyone and that he once gave the Eucharist to a Jewish woman in a nursing home. In Catholic Church law, only confirmed Catholics in good standing may receive Communion. But the pope found the encounter to be a positive mishap.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The land we now call Afghanistan has been a place of constant migration through its mountainous passes. Its linguistic, cultural and religious diversity is a result of millennia of trade along the Silk Road. Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban means that some minorities are again at heightened risk of persecution.
Read More(OPINION) There’s no need to pile even more scorn on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s “Tax the Rich” dress worn to a $35,000 per head gala. Instead, I want to focus here on the whole “tax the rich” idea. When have we heard this before?
Read More(REVIEW) “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is an empathetic take on the rise and fall of the powerhouse televangelist couple Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain) and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield). Unfortunately, those seeking answers to why powerful evangelicals fall will find none here.
Read More(REVIEW) A quick read at 148 pages, ‘Running For A Higher Purpose’ is the type of book perfect for a world that has been plunged into a pandemic since February 2020 and for those in need of both physical and spiritual assistance.
Read More(OPINION) Hundreds of people who wish to leave remained in Afghanistan and now fear for their lives. Among them are generations of human rights defenders including judges, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists — those who spent years working to make Afghanistan a country that affirms and protects the human rights of all.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For the Armenian religious minority in Istanbul, a practice based on ancient tradition serves as a strategy of visibility, a cry and demand, a claim to the minority right to the city for a people scattered and decimated by genocide more than 100 years ago.
Read More(OPINION) The pandemic has left us with questions about the relationship between churches and Big Tech: Could traditional faiths hold rites in virtual reality spaces, along with augmented reality Sunday school classes? Could ancient Jewish prayers chanted by mourners be replaced with waves of comments and clicks?
Read MoreAt 20th anniversary, Christians in North Carolina, New York and across U.S. take time to reflect on the lives lost.
Read More(OPINION) Today, innumerable dangers are posed by the radical Islamist beliefs of the Taliban. And yet, in more than a few reports and discussions, terrorism is noted while the profoundly religious nature of the new Afghan government remains unaddressed.
Read More(OPINION) We went into Afghanistan 20 years ago to punish the Taliban, and now, thousands of lives and trillions of dollars later, the Taliban run the country. This is as stinging as it is humiliating. And yet it reminds us of a sobering reality: Until Jesus returns, there will always be evil on the planet.
Read MoreThe government of Uganda has suspended 54 religious and humanitarian organizations working in the Christian majority country in a clampdown widely seen as politically motivated.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in summary reflects on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) The press gets very, very, very excited when it comes to the election of a new pope. It is, after all, a global news event and a type of power struggle the press thinks that it can cover like it does a political election. That’s something the press understands better than complicated things such as doctrine, tradition and history.
Read MoreHouses of worship own billions worth of empty, deteriorating or underused real estate. Some local governments and denominations are moving to carve it into badly needed housing, but there are plenty of obstacles.
Read MoreA 9-year-old Afghan girl inspired a retired U.S. Air Force general and his wife to fight for her people with schools, clinics and boots.
Read MoreUnidentified gunmen recently ambushed a van carrying Catholic pilgrims along a highway in eastern South Sudan, killing five people, including two Catholic nuns. The attack is only the latest to highlight the dangers faced by faith leaders trying to usher in reconciliation after civil war and aiding a humanitarian crisis.
Read More(OPINION) Reporting on the Taliban’s rise must understand the rigid form of Islam that dominates Afghan culture. In rural villages across the countryside, where most live, mullahs with rudimentary schooling are part of the influential elite establishment.
Read MoreSafe Families for Children, a national nonprofit that markets itself to churches and evangelical donors as a faith-based alternative to foster care, is losing some of its 100 local chapters that are starting new, independent groups to work only with traditional heterosexual couples.
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