This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the latest news in the Southern Baptist Convention’s ongoing sexual abuse crisis. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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(OPINION) The linchpin of N.T. Wright’s scholarship is his unusual theory about what Jesus was actually doing here 2,000 years ago. His radical view is that Jesus wasn’t primarily concerned about taking his followers to heaven. Instead, Jesus meant to bring heaven to Earth, to fulfill the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish traditions by uniting the two domains — heaven and Earth — into one kingdom.
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A new statue in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square has sparked an unlikely controversy. At center stage is the life of Baptist preacher and Malawian national hero John Chilembwe. He was killed leading a rebellion against British colonial authorities during World War I.
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(ANALYSIS) Eighty years ago, in November 1942, the Nazis occupied Tunisia. For the next six months, Tunisian Jews and Muslims were subjected to the Third Reich’s reign of terror, as well as its antisemitic and racist legislation. Residents lived in fear – “under the Nazi boot,” as Tunisian Jewish lawyer Paul Ghez wrote in his diary during the occupation.
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Wassim Razzouk and his sons are carrying their family’s Egyptian Coptic Christian tattooing tradition into its eighth century in Jerusalem’s Old City. ReligionUnplugged.com talked to Razzouk to learn more about his family history, the craft of tattooing, why Christian megachurch pastors and Catholic priests are coming to his shop and promoting the Razzouks on social media and how the Coptic faith propels his family business.
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(ANALYSIS) The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops assembled in Baltimore to elect a new president. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, tasked with overseeing Catholic ministries to members of the U.S. armed forces, was elected to lead the USCCB. What does it mean for the Catholic Church in the United States?
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Author and activist Shane Claiborne believes Christians astray are a bigger problem than secularization in the United States. The latest stop: Trenton, the capital of the state of New Jersey. It might sound nice. But it doesn’t look very nice.
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Cardinal Joseph Zen, a humanitarian and the outspoken critic of China’s Communist Party, was found guilty on charges relating to his role in a relief fund used by members of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. The 90-year-old and five others were found guilty for failing to register the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund” used to pay protesters’ legal fees.
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(REVIEW) The premiere of “The Chosen” season three showcases both the good and bad of the smash-hit series with few signs that either will change as the show continues.
Read MoreThis is the fourth in a five-part series about a Norwegian journalist’s perspective on the changing dynamics of Christianity in America. Home schooling in the U.S. has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Religious beliefs are one of the top reasons American families decide to home-school their children.
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(OPINION) Though TV gets the glamour, radio has arguably been more important in building the U.S. evangelical subculture and shaping its substance since World War II. The Guy has yet to see a comprehensive, knowledgeable look at this industry — so there’s a feature well worth developing by an enterprising reporter.
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Hillsong’s latest annual report reveals the megachurch is bringing in $17 million less in revenue compared to two years ago — that’s a drop of almost 20%, due at least in part to a series of controversies. The decline comes as former leader and founder Brian Houston faces charges of covering up his late father’s alleged sex crimes.
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This is the third in a five-part series about a Norwegian journalist’s perspective on the changing dynamics of Christianity in America. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir known worldwide for its gospel music recently lost one of its iconic soloists, longtime church member Cynthia Greene.
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Third Millennium Ministries has endeavored to do its part in growing the body of Christ by offering “biblical education for the world for free.” Its curriculum is currently being used in North and South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. It has so far been translated into 22 languages.
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(OPINION) What exactly was antisemitic about the tweets and statements by Kanye West (now known as Ye) and Kyrie Irving over the past few weeks? Despite being antisemitic in tone, did any of these statements contain some degree of truth?
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(OPINION) Despite what some conservatives think, former President Donald Trump maintains a huge sway over a large segment of the U.S. electorate. What that means for religion in the United States, once the Trump years come to an end, remains to be seen.
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This is the second in a five-part series about a Norwegian journalist’s perspective on the changing dynamics of Christianity in America. New York is known for its diversity, including religious diversity. But among religious groups in the city, evangelical Christians are relatively few. In recent years, these churches have cooperated across ethnic and cultural boundaries.
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(ANALYSIS) Behind the history and legend of the first Thanksgiving lies a rich story that illuminates the medieval Christian roots of the holiday.
Read More(OPINION) Nobody is ever just one thing. Nobody is just a Trump supporter and that’s all. Nobody is just a wackadoodle leftie and that’s all. That Trumpian or that granola cruncher is also a parent, a sibling, a son or daughter, an employee, a co-worker, a little league coach, a ballroom dancer, a store manager, a deacon, a teacher, a caregiver to an elderly parent — and/or 20 other things.
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This is the first in a five-part series about a Norwegian journalist’s perspective on the changing dynamics of Christianity in America. Alyson moved to protect her children against “dechristianization.” A pattern of flight from liberal to conservative states in the U.S. is building a greater concentration of evangelical Christians. Join us in Tennessee.
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