This week’s Weekend Plug-in explores religion in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the 96-year-old monarch who died after 70 years on the throne. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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(OPINION) Since the Taliban assumed control in Afghanistan, it has slipped more deeply into a humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by a tanking economy, skyrocketing poverty and widespread unemployment. The Taliban’s ideology and system of government solidifies their view that non-Muslims are disloyal enemies and infidels, which the Taliban use to justify killing and violence.
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(REVIEW) We are all consumers of news. Many have shunned the news altogether in recent years. Increasingly, Christians are those people — especially the mainstream media — because they don’t see in it the values that reflect their lives. If you’re one of those people, then a new book out now helps you understand why and how to fix it.
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Born in a refugee camp in eastern Sudan to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, Mariam Ibraheem says “danger lurked in every dark corner.” Disease, abuse and poverty plagued her life. In 2013, a Sharia court sentenced Ibraheem to death for marrying a Christian man. She was pregnant with her second child at the time and gave birth to Maya while shackled in prison. Her story since then has sparked international outcry and admiration.
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A special retrospective “Dakota Modern” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City explores the significant of Dakota artist Oscar Howe in American art and religion.
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(OPINION) A balanced coalition of leaders in the large United Methodist Church developed a treaty for mutually respectful separation that’s currently degenerating into a wasteful fight like other groups have suffered. The current maneuvers by the North American UMC establishment may well limit the number of dropouts joining the Global Methodist Church.
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Yelp announced last week that it would add a notice stating that pregnancy resource centers “provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.” Google has also joined the move, announcing that it would add labels to search and map functions to identify those clinics that provide abortions and those that don’t.
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(OPINION) It isn’t every day that one of the creators of a political thriller gets to ask its real-life protagonist to evaluate the novel’s plot. But that happened when the late Billy Wireman, president of Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, handed the last Soviet Union leader a copy of “The Secret Diary of Mikhail Gorbachev.”
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(OPINION) President Biden’s refusal to pursue a calculated diplomatic and military procedure for the U.S. departure inspired the Taliban’s terrorist leaders, who immediately seized lethal power over Afghanistan’s hapless, hopeless population. Today, Afghanistan is the world’s No. 1 worst persecutor of Christians.
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(ANALYSIS) This month President Joe Biden signed a new bill into law, the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed at lowering the deficit, reducing inflation, knocking down prescription medicine prices, taxing the profits of large corporations and significantly addressing climate change. At first glance, this legislation does not immediately appear to be a law that intersects much with religious freedom. Yet there are surprising connections worth considering.
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The Nairobi Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1912 to serve the Jewish diaspora doing business in Kenya. Today, most of the two dozen congregants gathered for Shabbat on Saturday mornings are Kenyan-born converts to Judaism.
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(ANALYSIS) Celebrity news coverage and religion couldn’t be more polar opposites most of the time. Coverage of actors, models and others in the entertainment industry often resembles a list for the seven deadly sins. In the case of actor Shia LaBeouf, his recent conversion to Catholicism has become part of his redemption story.
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Climate scientists increasingly promote “collective efficacy,” which is how people involved in a broader social or communal movement can bring about positive change. Such social movements include churches and faith groups. Churches, like commercial and industrial buildings, waste 30% of the energy consumed according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Four former employees of Midland Christian School in Texas and a current employee who says he was demoted from his assistant principal role filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Midland and three police officers.
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(ANALYSIS) Religions and cultures across the globe are rife with dragon lore. In fact, across the vast majority of religions, there is mythic trope some scholars call “Chaoskampf.” This term, used by mythologists, refers to a pervasive motif involving a heroic character who slays a primordial chaos “monster.”
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NFTs. Online gaming. Cryptocurrency. Compassion International is exploring these and other innovations as it connects with new supporters and prepares itself for Web 3.0, the Metaverse, and beyond. With fewer Americans donating to charity, the 70-year-old, $1 billion ministry is working to find new ways to engage younger believers.
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“Mother Teresa: No Greater Love” will be in nearly 1,000 theaters across the United States for an exclusive two-day only event Oct. 3-4. The documentary is part of Fathom Events’ “Saint Series”, a collection of films that delves into the lives of saints.
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(REVIEW) ReligionUnplugged film contributor Joseph Holmes reviews the Sept. 1 premiere of “Rings of Power”, inspired by “The Lord of the Rings”. Religious fans have wondered how badly the Amazon series would depart from Tolkien’s Catholic worldview and original characters, but the biggest issue Holmes sees is that the first two episodes are simply boring.
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On Tuesday, the director of Christian ministry World Vision’s work in Gaza was sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly transferring ministry funds to the terrorist organization Hamas. Mohammad el-Halabi, who has already spent six years in prison as his trial waged on, plans to appeal the decision.
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(ANALYSIS) A scholar visited Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to document the lives and stories of everyday Afghans. What he found is that the Taliban have less authority on the ground than they project to the media, fostering uncertainty about the government’s stability and longevity.
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