(OPINION) The least remarkable thing about the “He Gets Us” campaign — at least the most tiresome thing — is the knee-jerk reactions from both extremes of the political-religious divide. Both sides have found much to hate.
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(PERSONAL ESSAY) It was as if I faced what we call in development economics a “false paradigm.” A few days before leaving my home country, every stop I took at a bank around my place of residence as well as at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, I felt I was wrongly advised by the forex department to not carry cash on hand for safety precautions. They, however, did not perceive the current naira scarcity saga that has affected millions of Nigerians — Christians, churches, nonbelievers, the rich and the poor.
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(OPINION) The Bible’s shortest verse — “Jesus wept” — is also one of its most important. That was the message delivered by the Rev. Chad Scruggs in a March 5 sermon — “Death’s Conqueror” — as the faithful at Nashville’s Covenant Presbyterian Church continued their Lenten journey toward Holy Week and Easter’s promise of new life after death.
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(REVIEW) Amazon Studios’ new film “On a Wing and a Prayer” succeeds both as a faith-based film and mainstream inspirational drama, hopefully setting a new standard for faith-based representation in Hollywood.
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(ANALYSIS) The Catholic press operates differently compared to mainstream media. Catholic media, depending where the publication or TV station falls on the doctrinal spectrum, aren’t governed by objectivity but by church teachings. This is where the conflict arises and when culture war battles within the church — and society — manifest themselves.
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(OPINION) News about transgender issues tends to ignore medical morality, especially concerning underaged youths, and how various religious groups understand gender and why. Journalists should take notice when four vigorous arguments on the religious aspect appear in the space of just six days.
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(ANALYSIS) As a Muslim-Pakistani woman who is also a journalist, I find myself unable to turn off from such news. In these cases, what set me off more is that unlike previous instances of violence against women where a certain amount of support and discussion helped me deal with the fear and anger that accompanies such news, Khan’s and Muhammad’s untimely deaths were met with silence.
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This real story of the Whites’ harrowing experience after the pilot of their private plane died midflight inspired the Amazon Studios movie “On a Wing and a Prayer.” The film, starring Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham, comes out Good Friday, April 7, on Amazon Prime Video.
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Washington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible is fascinating for Christians of all denominations and even for people who identify with another faith tradition. The museum — in addition to highlighting Hebrew texts and the time Jesus lived — also integrates how the Bible and Christianity have influenced American culture and society since the early 1600s to the present.
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(OPINION) One of the most common (and pernicious) Hebrew Israelite lies is that Isaac and Rebekah’s son Esau, also known as Edom, was White and that Whites today are his descendants, vilified as “White Edomite Devils.”
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(ANALYSIS) Spiritual motherhood is brought to life through sacred, ancient myths like the Ukrainian women who co-create the world anew each morning through their perpetual creation of pysanky eggs. And particularly now, spiritual mothers like Zielyk are inviting each of us to step into our own individual and collective sacred stories through art, beauty and creativity.
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More than a third of the 143 known administrative prosecutions in 2022 punished individuals for posting religious texts and recordings on social media accounts without state permission. In one case a journalist was initially fined — changed to a verbal warning — for posting her interview with a state-approved imam.
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(OPINION) Why is it that, “among all racial and religious groups, Jews remain the greatest hate crime target”? And why is it that Jews are targeted by both White supremacists and Black supremacists? I began documenting this more than 30 years ago. It is even worse today.
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Bob Jones University President Steve Pettit has announced he’s resigning following months of contention between him and BJU Board Chairman John Lewis over the direction of the fundamentalist school.
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About 200 miles south of Asbury University in Kentucky, where a marathon worship service sparked a revival that made national headlines, about 400 people committed to be baptized — 200 each in two Sunday morning services at Winterfest Gatlinburg. At least 100 more made the same commitment a few weeks earlier during Winterfest Arlington in Texas.
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As churches large and small seek to draw in infrequent worshippers on Easter Sunday, helicopter egg drops have become an increasingly popular strategy. But some observers of evangelical culture question the tactic.
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Disgraced Hillsong founder Brian Houston has been charged with drunk driving in southern California, the latest of several legal charges facing the former megachurch pastor.
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A suspect has been arrested for another attack against a pro-life pregnancy help center in upstate New York. Hannah Kamke, 39, was arrested on Saturday, March 25, by the Amherst Police Department. She was charged with one count of criminal mischief for spray painting a sign at the Amherst CompassCare location on March 16.
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(ANALYSIS) Although the yellow badge has come to symbolize Nazi cruelty, it was not an original idea. For many centuries, communities throughout Europe had forced Jewish residents to mark themselves.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights coverage of the mass shooting at a Presbyterian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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