(OPINION) Afghanistan is probably the most heavily Muslim of nations, and the Taliban who regained power in August proudly proclaim totalist governance based upon strictly interpreted and enforced Shariah — Islamic law. This example of Islam in action presents a huge challenge to the world religion.
Read More(REVIEW) Jonathan Franzen’s latest novel, “Crossroads,” testifies to humanity’s desperate, unremitting search for grace and ability to find it in unlikely places as it follows five members of a dysfunctional Midwestern U.S. family in the early 1970s who grapple with a paralyzing sense of unworthiness.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights four key religion trends to watch as the pandemic rages on. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MorePrison officials finally allowed Catholic and Orthodox Christian political prisoners pastoral visits after more than a year but prevented one from attending a worship meeting. Meanwhile, a court in Gomel Region punished a Council of Churches Baptist for baptizing his son in a lake in a ceremony attended by about 25 people.
Read MoreThe Light a Candle charity — a project of Sean Feucht, 38-year-old worship leader, political activist and former Republican candidate best known for his 120-city tour of “worship protests” — has raised more than $200,000 for its Afghan Emergency Relief Fund. But the charity has no experience in the country and has provided no concrete plans.
Read MoreChristian speaker Ted DiBiase — a former World Wrestling Federation fighter whose character, The Million Dollar Man, was all about wealth and greed — along with his sons and former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, fraudulently collected more than $6 million from the state of Mississippi to deliver speeches and presentations that never happened.
Read MoreIn an overwhelming show of support, U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday in favor of issuing a new document regarding the importance of Holy Communion — although the text did not single out President Joe Biden or other Catholic politicians as being unworthy of receiving the sacrament because they favor abortion rights.
Read MoreJustices will hear oral arguments Dec. 1 in the latest challenge of state regulation of abortions, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which legal scholars say will give a more conservative court a renewed opportunity to revisit the constitutional right of abortion that has been recognized for a half-century.
Read More(OPINION) Whether Catholics who go against church doctrine should receive Holy Communion remained a hot topic as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops braced for its fall 2021 meetings this week (Nov. 15-18) in Baltimore. But the bishops know they have other problems that are affecting bottom-line issues in American parishes.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Catholic bishops will once again address the issue regarding who should receive Holy Communion, part of a larger effort by many in the church’s hierarchy to reiterate the importance the sacrament has to the faithful. It is also part of an ongoing political debate that involves President Biden and his abortion rights stances.
Read More(OPINION) How do Latter-day Saints view the polygamy in their faith's past? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, was founded in 1830 by the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr., who later began practicing and advocating polygamy, a controversial teaching.
Read MoreThe Rev. Gary Mason spent decades ministering to Protestant loyalists and Catholic nationalists during Northern Ireland’s bloody conflict. He then helped establish Skainos, the largest faith-based redevelopment project in Western Europe, as a model of coexistence that he believes can help heal other nations, including the U.S., Israel and Palestine.
Read MoreMembers of a church in Michigan protest abortion outside a women’s center as part of their “Metro for Life” ministry. The anti-abortion demonstrators say the gospel, not politics, motivates them to gather at clinics and urge women not to end pregnancies.
Read More(REVIEW) New biopic “King Richard” shares the origins of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams through the eyes of their father, Richard. It’s a heartwarming story of strength, athleticism and family but often gets too hung up on its protagonist to feature its proper stars.
Read MoreFaithTech is tapping into an underutilized population, people of faith who work in the tech industry, bringing those people together to brainstorm tech projects to help ministries and charities. One, for example, involved buying out website domains like “howtokillyourself.org” and redirecting them to support networks — and there are dozens more.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the Supreme Court arguments over a Texas death row inmate who wants his pastor with him at his execution. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Veterans Day, people across America thank veterans and active-duty military personnel for their service. But many members of the public don’t have a clear understanding of what service means to people in the military. How do they honor their own? What kind of spaces and activities help them reflect and remember?
Read MoreKen Beck of Alexandria, Tennessee, had made over 2,000 carrot cakes since 2005. He gifts them to a wide variety of people, ranging from friends on their birthdays to families mourning the death of a loved one to charities for fundraising events.
Read More(OPINION) This year the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja that is so cherished by Hindus in Bangladesh was fraught with violence against Hindus and their places of worship.
Read MoreBible app YouVersion has been installed 500 million times worldwide, marking a milestone in the app’s development. The app contains over 2,600 Bible versions including translations in 1,760 languages, and its users read or listened to about 64 billion chapters of the Bible this year.
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