The number of Roman Catholics across Africa and Asia continues to grow, according to a new report, while it has dropped in Europe. The Vatican report serves as a statistical snapshot of the church’s global population and institutions, comparing 2019 — the last year for which data is available — with the previous year.
Read MoreMany pastors around the U.S. and the world are wondering how and when church life can transition back into real-life gatherings, with church members weaned off the safety and convenience of online church. ReligionUnplugged.com spoke to a dozen pastors from Africa to America to hear about the challenges of digital church post pandemic.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the gang kidnapping of 17 American and Canadian missionaries in Haiti. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreA restoration project on YouTube has rendered a short piece of film depicting Pope Leo XIII into never-before seen quality. David Martin, who restored the footage from 1896 into color, spoke to ReligionUnplugged.com about the scenes of Pope Leo XIII captured and the identities of the men surrounding him, long forgotten.
Read More(OPINION) With a controversial Catholic in the White House, there was no way for Cardinal Wilton Gregory to face a pack of Beltway journalists without fielding political questions. But he mainly praised the mainstream press for pushing issues linked to racism and social justice, and encouraged them to keep promoting civility.
Read MoreWith all the ominous things taking place in America — and there are certainly quite a few — perhaps none is more ominous than this: Parents are being demonized. Moms and dads have become he enemy. It is now the government — or the education system — vs. those entrusted with raising the next generation.
Read More(OPINION) When does life begin? The religion guy’s answer: Those four words are regularly posed in the current abortion debate, so let's scan the lines in pregnancy that have been drawn by experts — religious and secular — in the past.
Read MoreSeveral recent deadly attacks on Hindu migrant workers in Kashmir — as militants fight to separate the region from India — are prompting many to flee the Muslim-majority Himalayan valley, particularly the migrant workers who have participated in Kashmir's economy for decades as construction workers and street vendors.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Despite it being almost two weeks since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, the fallout and reaction from that private audience continues to reverberate across the American political landscape. Naturally, some are concerned about how the news media we consume have covered it all.
Read MoreAt the height of Nigeria’s #EndSARS protests against police brutality and corrupt governance last October, young people of different faiths, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds united in street demonstrations with prayers and songs. One year later, those connections are still growing, and churches are still praying.
Read More(OPINION) In an age in which satire and news often overlap, it was hard to know what to make of this headline: "New York Atheists Claim Religious Exemption From Vaccine After Governor Claims That It's From God." This was satire from the Babylon Bee, but the barbed humor focused on real quotes that raised eyebrows on the cultural left and right.
Read MoreKidnappings in Haiti have surged by 300% this year, largely due to the 400 Mawozo gang that recently kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries. Some news reports indicate gangs control up to half of Port-au-Prince and are kidnapping police officers, business people and ministers, even interrupting a sermon to kidnap a pastor.
Read MoreIn life, Colin Luther Powell, the son of Jamaican Anglican immigrants, rose to become an Army general, a White House aide to four presidents and the first Black American to serve as the United States secretary of state. Powell passed away Oct. 18 at age 84 due to complications of COVID-19.
Read MoreIn the same rural district that endured India’s worst violence against Christians 13 years ago, Hindu extremists set fire to a Christian home church, displacing five Christian families and triggering local fears of more religion-based violence.
Read More(ANALYSIS) This week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the latest concerning religion’s role in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreAfter backlash from church-state separation groups — who say PPP loan forgiveness from the U.S. government should not be accepted by religious organizations — Joel Osteen’s megachurch is repaying millions of dollars it borrowed to provide full salaries and benefits to its 370 employees during the pandemic.
Read More(OPINION) For a variety of reasons, many African Americans face barriers to mental health care. But as a sociologist who focuses on community-based organizations, Brad Fulton finds that strengthening relationships between churches and mental health providers can be one way to increase access to needed services.
Read MoreEngiven is a cryptocurrency donation management platform formed in 2018. Its roster of churches and charities includes major groups such as The Salvation Army, Compassion International and March of Dimes, and CEO James Lawrence predicts it’ll be serving 1,000 clients by the end of 2021.
Read More(REVIEW) Stephen Rossetti, a licensed psychologist, tries to use his latest book to educate people on the subject of exorcisms and debunk myths that have been pushed into pop culture by Hollywood. He also pushes back on the idea that exorcisms are “not an integral part of the ministry of Jesus and thus are not an integral part of today’s church.”
Read More(OPINION) It remains true to this day that “money is a root of all kinds of evil” — as Paul said, writing in 1 Timothy 6:10 — which is why greed can corrupt the best of us if we are not careful. And that’s why it shouldn’t surprise us if Big Pharma, along with the abortion industry, has been influenced by greed. Why should they be exempt?
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