(OPINION) Pope Francis’ two-day visit to the tiny European country of Malta, a strongly Catholic island just south of Sicily, in April put a spotlight on Malta’s complicated history and important contemporary concerns. Chief among these is the sharp increase in the number of asylum-seekers from Africa and the Middle East, and criticism of how Malta has treated them.
Read MoreTwo more leaders of Hillsong Church U.S. campuses have announced they’re taking their campuses in a different direction in the wake of founder Brian Houston being ousted by the church’s board for breaching its code of conduct.
Read MoreNamed La’eeb — which FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, said is “an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player” — the World Cup mascot triggered plenty of confusion and scorn on social media. But the mascot was primarily an homage to Arab garments known as the “keffiyeh” and “thawb.”
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in reflects on debate over the use of the term “cult” in religion news stories. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Michael Metzger analyzes the interpretation of the church as Christ's bride from the perspective of Jade Studdock's story, "Did we make Jesus' payment for sin the main thing on the cross?"
Read MoreHalf of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been displaced in the month since Russia invaded, said the U.N. Children’s Fund on March 24. The Association of Christian Schools International is seeking donations to help some of these children, their families, and Christian schoolteachers and school personnel who have fled their homes.
Read MoreThe doors of the historic Grand Mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir reopened for Friday prayers this month, in time for Ramadan expected to begin April 2, after the Indian government had banned the weekly gathering there for 30 consecutive weeks.
Read MorePassover is a time for the Jewish community to reflect on the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and hosting a Seder is one way families and communities come together to celebrate this biblical event. OneTable and Haggadot.com have joined forces this year to provide people with the tools needed to host their own unique Seder.
Read MoreIf you don’t know much about the Jewish holiday of Passover and are looking to learn more, you might want to consider watching a movie about it. There are many movies that air on television around Passover, but you can also find them on streaming services year-round.
Read MoreIn Manchester, Tennessee, the final assembly of the Ragsdale Church of Christ was an old-time singing — the kind they used to have every fourth Sunday. After nearly 70 years, the church could no longer sustain itself.
Read MoreStovall Weems, founding pastor of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, says he was illegally removed from his position by the church’s governing board earlier this year, after his accusations that a trustee was improperly billing the church for “enormous sums of money” for services were turned back on him.
Read MoreMetaxas and other conservative Christian media figures are being probed about their practices in a defamation lawsuit filed by Eric Coomer, an executive with Dominion Voting Systems. In a deposition for the case, Metaxas said he had done little to verify claims aired in the broadcast that Dominion had rigged elections in the U.S., Mongolia, and Venezuela.
Read More(OPINION) New religions appear all the time — nowhere more than in the United States — but very few ever achieve prominence and permanence. Christianity is a rare and dramatic case of a faith that triumphed.
Read MoreWhen public officials have restricted churches from ministering to the poor and homeless, some have fought back, suing and arguing in court that efforts to restrict ministry to the needy violate First Amendment protections.
Read MoreResearch shows charitable donors prefer to give their time over money — even when it does less good for the cause — because they perceive it gives them more control over where their donation goes. But nonprofits, although they need both donors’ time and money to succeed, feel that financial gifts have the most impact.
Read More(ANALYSIS) At around the same time a Russian Orthodox anti-war statement was distributed to collect nearly 300 signatures, several of Ukraine’s evangelical theological educators expressed to Russian evangelical leaders deep disappointment over their failure to speak out against Russia’s unprovoked attack. Some Russian evangelicals have issued their own anti-war statements.
Read MoreFaulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, has been awarded two grants meant to bolster opportunities for low-income and African American students, the university has announced. The grants will provide Black students better access to mentors, academic coaches and student tutors, among other offerings.
Read More(OPINION) As Russia’s invasion sought to erase Ukraine from the map, Moscow’s Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a key ally of dictator Vladimir Putin, met via video last week with Pope Francis. In the meeting, Francis said Christians should never justify war: “Wars are always unjust, since it is the people of God who pay.”
Read More(OPINION) In his third text on the meaning of Lent, Michael Metzger connects the church as the bride of Christ to his encounter with the Samaritan woman.
Read MoreThe last thing anyone expected from last night’s Oscars ceremony was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock onstage. After he did, he proceeded to talk about God’s calling for his life. Here, we recap that and other faith moments from last night’s awards.
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