Tuesday night was supposed to be Adult Game Night at the Getty Street Church of Christ in Uvalde, Texas. But then a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School, less than a mile from the church building. Leaders of the South Texas congregation, about 85 miles west of San Antonio, canceled the scheduled event and planned a special prayer vigil.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration. They are where the faith’s most sacred rites or “ordinances” are performed, so church members were traditionally taught not to discuss some of them publicly.
Read More(OPINION) The most strictly religious Jews — the mystical-oriented Hasidic followers of historic rabbinic lineages and the “mitnagdim,” Hasidism’s more intellectually focused religious critics — suffered some of the worst losses in the Holocaust. But a new survey says that by 2040, if their current growth rate persists, about a quarter of the world’s Jews will likely be Haredi.
Read MoreMark Dowdy was a band director at Morningside, the community where televangelist Jim Bakker broadcasts tapings of his show, in 2011. When he began, he hoped he would be able to do good through Bakker’s ministry — but his view quickly changed. He talked to ReligionUnplugged about his time at Morningside and what he thinks of Bakker.
Read MoreIn an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi questioned whether San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was applying a double standard by banning her from receiving Holy Communion because she supports abortion rights but not supporters of the death penalty.
Read MoreFive of the nine known prisoners of conscience in Kazakhstan jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief were punished for participating in an online Islamic discussion group. The other four are also Sunni Muslims.
Read More(OPINION) In devastating fashion, the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has been accused of a massive cover-up of sexual sins. As evangelical followers of Jesus, because of our failings and scandals and carnality, the name of the Lord is being mocked and ridiculed. This is heartbreaking on so many levels.
Read MoreA special Monday edition of Weekend Plug-in highlights Sunday’s big news: the release of a 288-page investigative report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(OPINION) Russia’s security strategy gives prominent weight to concerns about traditional religious values. Diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the West to end the war in Ukraine will likely center on some of these concerns for many years to come.
Read MoreThe Catholic press — print, online and television — is one of the most active and vibrant in the United States, but the changing journalism landscape — spurred on by the internet — has made it tough for even religious media to thrive. This trend manifested itself recently with the pending closures of two highly venerated and popular Catholic news organizations: Catholic News Service and Catholic New York.
Read MoreArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week that she is not eligible to receive Holy Communion when attending Mass in the Archdiocese of San Francisco given her support for abortion rights. Cordileone notified Pelosi of his decision on May 19 and announced it to the public in two separate letters.
Read MoreThe fatal mass shooting inside of a New York grocery store has shaken the faith of national political leaders by echoing a tragic and familiar refrain across the country — another mass shooting that appears motivated by race and hate.
Read MoreTen people died — including a relative of one church member, Patrick Patterson — in a supermarket massacre in Buffalo, New York. Patterson is a manager at the store and helped people escape during the shooting, which authorities have said was a hate crime targeting the Black community.
Read More(REVIEW) You may have never heard of the school, but that’s what makes their story an even better one. Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas has the numbers and alums to prove it is a powerhouse. Now there’s a new documentary that takes viewers into what makes this school so special.
Read MoreProtests by Kashmiri Hindus, also known as Kashmiri Pandits, have continued daily since the killing of Kashmiri Hindu Rahul Bhat on May 12 by, police allege, militants fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir. Hundreds of Pandit government employees with families are protesting and demanding security.
Read MoreKansas’ Hall of Men has meetings offering beer, cigars, an open bar, some kind of “guy food” and lots of chatter around a giant wooden table. But then there are the evening prayers, icons, Bible readings and lectures about authors whose portraits hang on the walls — C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, W.H. Auden, Dorothy Sayers, Fyodor Dostoevsky, J.R.R. Tolkien and many others.
Read More(OPINION) An authentic practice furthers a happiness founded on deeper meanings, whereas an inauthentic practice may only provide fleeting pleasure or temporary relief.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Ark Encounter boasts a re-creation of the story of Noah’s Ark from the Bible. But what is particularly striking about Ark Encounter is that it is a tourist site devoted to emphasizing — with great specificity — the wrathful nature of God and the eternal damnation that awaits unrepentant sinners.
Read More(ANALYSIS) “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and its popularization in films and cartoons have greatly shaped our perceptions of the famous cathedral and the story of Quasimodo and Notre Dame is one of many stories that have become part of our collective worldview. For that reason alone, how and why Victor Hugo portrayed the cathedral are worth a close look.
Read MoreAndrew Garfield is a beloved actor of his generation, known for playing Spider-Man in the franchise’s first reboot and Eduardo Saverin in “The Social Network.” The majority of roles in his career have involved playing devout religious characters. We’ve taken a look back at the major ones.
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