(OPINION) Egypt is a country of contrasts when it comes to all kinds of human rights, including religious freedom. Egyptian Christians attended Easter service boldly, in spite of the looming threat posed by extremists and problematic laws. Still, many Christians would argue that it’s the most free and peaceful time they’ve known.
Read MoreDozens of Muslim properties have been razed to ground by the government in India in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim violence. Critics of the Hindu-first government say the demolitions are a collective punishment for Muslims that is a warning bell for potential genocide.
Read MoreThe culture war skirmish between Walt Disney World and Florida lawmakers, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, leads this week’s Weekend Plug-in. Plus, catch up, as always, on the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreTV preacher Andrew Wommack’s ministry racked up $25.9 million in debt building the $99 million campus of Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, up in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. Wommack now wants to tear up an agreement he made with the city a decade ago to build campus student housing as a taxable private enterprise.
Read MoreEmbezzlement will cost churches $170 billion in the year 2050 if current trends continue, according to Center for the Study of Global Christianity co-Director Todd Johnson. But while 1 in 3 churches will be victims of embezzlement, 27% won’t report the crime because members often have a hard time believing they have been victimized.
Read MoreMissionaries throughout Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas look forward to the weekly arrivals of planes flown by Agape Flights, a Florida ministry that shuttles mail, medicines, cargo, relief supplies and other resources. But one of its planes was burned in Haiti by demonstrators protesting the country’s increasing violence and kidnappings.
Read More(REVIEW) Images from 31 unique ancient objects, including Christian manuscripts in Latin, the Getty’s treasured Rothschild Pentateuch in Hebrew and two printed Hebrew books — from between 1040 to 1592 — are on display until May 29 at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. But the Getty’s text descriptions seem intended to push a misinterpretation of the Christian images as works of antisemitism and misogyny, based on little or no evidence.
Read More(OPINION) Will more Americans — from the right and the left — untangle their bizarre fantasy with a misappropriating, rather cowardly, cult-like entertainment industrial complex? Has Disney going woke finally caused Americans to wake up from their slumber like Rip van Winkle? Mickey Mouse can’t have his cake and eat it too anymore.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It’s understandable that reviewers are entitled to their opinions. After all, that’s the job of a critic. But the coverage around “Father Stu,” however, has been framed in a certain way, offering up lopsided and negative takes among many mainstream news sites.
Read MoreAs Russia’s two-month-old invasion of neighboring Ukraine continues, Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Israel grant the Kremlin control of a Russian Orthodox church in Jerusalem’s Christian quarter as the previous Israeli government had promised. Granting the request would be a diplomatic headache for Israel.
Read MoreAtlanta Jewish organizations assess the Georgia Senate's stance in not voting a definition for antisemitism into state legislation, an issue that had already largely passed the House.
Read More(OPINION) American evangelicalism has invested most of its energy into creating a structure of “parallel institutions.” They parallel culture-shaping institutions but function below the level of these institutions’ radar, operating in an evangelical subculture of their own. But the results are often not very flattering.
Read More(ANALYSIS) If you’re a golf fan, you should know the name Scottie Scheffler by now. The 25-year-old has been the talk of the PGA for the past few months for his remarkable run this season. His win at the widely-televised Masters Tournament also built a wider audience for Scheffler’s calm, zen-like Christian faith.
Read MoreBahá’í leaders will resume construction soon on the shrine of ʻAbdu’l Bahá, the Iran-born head of the faith who popularized the religion outside the Middle East. A fire on April 8 caused significant damage to the main building under construction at the holy site on Israel's coast just north of Haifa.
Read More(REVIEW) “Theirs Is the Kingdom” follows the painting of a fresco mural inside the sanctuary of a North Carolina Methodist church. This is a painting not of the rich and powerful, but of people battling homelessness, addiction, and mental illness.
Read MoreIn this week’s Weekend Plug-in, Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on a reporting trip to Alaska. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreAn Anchorage congregation with members from Ukraine, Russia and other Slavic nations is working to feed and support families forced to flee their homes. “We can’t just sit here,” church member Zori Opanasevych says. “We have to do something.”
Read More(OPINION) A recent decision requiring Texas to grant a convicted murderer his Baptist pastor’s audible prayers and comforting touch during his execution was a rare moment in which activists on both sides of America’s culture wars cheered for “religious liberty” — a freedom that until recently didn’t require cynical “scare quotes” that suggest uncertainty.
Read MoreAs Russian forces withdraw from the capital and western Ukraine, Christians in Ukraine report that they’re concerned attacks will intensify in the cities of the east, including Dnipro and Mariupol. In Mariupol, a port city that has been all but obliterated by Russian artillery, 33 Christians were taking refuge in the meeting place of a Church of Christ.
Read MoreAlmost 11 weeks into tax season, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service continues to experience delays in processing last year’s tax returns. Millions of tax returns and filings are still backlogged, including those in the Form 990 series, an annual reporting obligation by tax-exempt entities like ministries and churches.
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