When it comes to public perceptions of religious groups, a new poll finds that U.S. views of evangelical Christians are increasingly negative among those who aren’t themselves “born again” believers.
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(OPINION) The June 13-14 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, will be a landmark gathering to decide whether to expel any congregation with a women pastor, thus affirming the SBC Executive Committee’s February expulsion of five such congregations.
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“I do believe that there is a need for a school that is worldview minded and is a degree-granting undergraduate institution that is based in the city. I think that there is a benefit where the cultural capitals of media and finance and arts and so forth (are located). As a Kuyperian, I believe that this matters.”
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Well-known author and columnist Karen Swallow Prior has announced that she will leave her faculty position at a prominent Southern Baptist seminary, saying that she does not “share the same vision for carrying out the Great Commission.”
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(OPINION) Firmly in senior citizen territory now, I find myself unattached to nearly all the things I thought were important when I was young. As I’ve said before, and as countless others have said before me, getting old seems to be mainly about letting go, about learning — slowly and unsteadily — to hold all things lightly.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the beginning of Ramadan. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Christians like Stanislav Syniy are living in war times on adrenaline as they volunteer to provide, food, clothing and other supplies to people in need. They pray as they go, hoping for an end to a conflict that has destroyed parts of their homeland and left an estimated hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead.
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(OPINION) Father Sean Gough was praying silently when he was arrested near an abortion facility in a Public Spaces Protection Order protected zone while holding a “Praying for free speech” sign. His car was parked nearby, with a small “Unborn lives matter” bumper sticker.
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Reuters reported that more than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. But the new law emerging in Uganda would be the first to outlaw people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, according to Human Rights Watch.
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(ESSAY) For almost a century, two of the most powerful and culturally influential institutions in the West — the church and Hollywood — have lived in near constant enmity with each other. Why is this? Does it have to be this way? Is there hope for unity? Much like Scripture, I was taken with the wonderful narratives I was invited into through film. But it was confusing to see an inspiring and entertaining movie on Saturday night and then be told how evil it was on Sunday morning.
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(OPINION) There’s long-established history behind the practice of Christians during their earthly life praying to benefit fellow believers who are dead. This was commended by revered theologians of the early church.
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Earlier this month, the two-part BBC documentary “The Modi Question” was screened at Columbia University's Journalism School and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, among others. In its most recent attempts at stifling dissent, the Indian government banned the documentary. At Columbia University, the screening was followed by a panel discussion led by progressive academics, Indian activists and journalists.
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Christian organizations, many from the West, are among the groups trying to provide aid in Southern Turkey following the Feb. 6 7.8-magnitude earthquake that is threatening 1.5 million people in the disaster zone, which includes Northwestern Syria.
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(REVIEW) Although it is a supernatural anime, Demon Slayer is set during the shortest era in Japanese history — the Taisho Period (1912-1926). Japanese religion during this time was made up of several different elements, including Shintoism, “the way of the spirits or deities” that was present in the nation before the sixth century, and Buddhism, which began during the sixth century in India.
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(ANALYSIS) Pope Francis’ pontificate turned 10 years old last week and — like with an anniversary or milestone — became a time for the news media to reflect. What will continue to matter is how this pope will be covered both by the mainstream and Catholic press going forward. Once again, news coverage of this pope often says as much about the journalists doing the coverage as it does about Pope Francis.
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(OPINION) Religion writers, like many other Americans, doubtless find a February report on the well-being of American teens from the federal Centers for Disease Control nothing short of alarming.
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(OPINION) Politically, rallying Hindus around one overarching religious figure has been a key component of the BJP’s strategy to create a new pan-Hindu identity that transcends its myriad traditions and caste hierarchies, which are considered a roadblock to Hindu political unity.
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The windows keep drawing your eyes to study the images. The telling, minute details — lines in a beard, expressions on faces — are detailed in ways that make other stained glass windows seem dull. The color palate is more brilliant - like an LED screen from the 2000s rather than the picture tube technology from the 1980s. Instead of pastel colors found in other stained glass works, these hold bold, rich jewel tones.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the Religion News Association’s annual meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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(ESSAY) It’s impossible not to notice St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in case you pass by the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. That’s not because it is particularly tall — especially near a much taller buildings that define New York City’s essence — but because something just profoundly sets it apart from the city’s usual mundane, gray backdrop.
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