Bicultural teens enjoy unity at Jóvenes (Youths) for Christ camp

Since 2016, with a year off during the pandemic, Jóvenes for Christ has provided five days of teaching, fellowship, games, worship and community service for English-speaking teens from bilingual and predominantly Hispanic Churches of Christ. Those are exactly the young people camp director JuanRaymon Rubio hopes to serve.

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The Zimbabwean Pastor Who Demystified The ‘Disease Of Shame’

“I have run the race to strengthen others … that even in death from HIV, there is still God in heaven,” Rev. Kapachawo. 49, told ReligionUnplugged.com in an interview as he reflected on his life. “Because He is so faithful, here I am today, still believing and spreading the gospel of life and hope.”

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Christians and Christian Ministries Targeted in India

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, conditions for Christians and Christian ministries in India have worsened over the last several years. It recommends the United States designate India as a “country of particular concern” because of its “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”

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Reaction to Leslie Van Houten’s Parole Shows How Unforgiving We’ve Become

(OPINION) This isn’t a column about Leslie Van Houten. This is a column about the often competing virtues of justice versus mercy. But the news event that started me thinking (again) about those dueling impulses was the recent announcement that Van Houten, a former member of Charles Manson’s “family,” will soon be paroled from prison.

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🎤 The Late Sinéad O’Connor Ripped Up The Pope's Photo: Was It Offensive Or Prophetic? 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the death of Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Why the Catholic press and columnist Ross Douthat remain essential reading

(ANALYSIS) I have found it healthy and important to watch Fox News and read The New York Times. Both are highly influential in their respective partisan bubbles. Both impact the world around us, for better or worse, and that’s of great importance in a world were journalistic objectivity is a relic of a pre-internet world.

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The Fight For Women’s Suffrage: An Iconic Moment Shaped By Quaker Beliefs On Gender

(ANALYSIS) The two-day Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of the movement for women’s suffrage, which would be granted 70 years later by the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution. And it likely wouldn’t have happened without Quakers.

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How ‘Barbie’ Shows Greta Gerwig is The Wrong Choice To Direct ‘Narnia’

(FILM ESSAY) Unfortunately, Gerwig directing Narnia is a colossal mistake. Gerwig’s filmography shows that she not only doesn’t share Lewis’ worldview but actively despises it. Having her make a Narnia movie would be like Ayn Rand directing a Spider-Man movie when she doesn’t believe in self-sacrificial heroism.

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The ‘Religiosity Gap’ Remains an Important Force in Elections

(ANALYSIS) This “religiosity gap” remains relevant. A new Pew Research Center analysis noted that, in the 2022 midterms, “The gap in voting preferences by religious attendance was as wide as it's been in any of the last several elections.”

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Florida Pastor And Son Found Guilty for Participating in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

A federal jury has found a Florida pastor, his son, and another church member guilty of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The jury found Pastor James “Jim” Varnell Cusick Jr., 72, of Global Outreach Ministries Church in Melbourne; his son Casey Cusick, 35; and David John Lesperance, 69, a repairman who was a member of their church, guilty of multiple charges.

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Turkey’s Christian Sites: Following the Footsteps of St. Paul Off the Beaten Path

(TRAVEL) Many tourists coming to Turkey visit Ephesus, the sprawling archeological site where, according to the Book of Acts, Paul lived, worked and preached for nearly three years. Yet, there are numerous other fascinating sites associated with Paul that are more off the beaten path.

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Transforming Lives Post-Abortion: A Fresh Take on Healing and Support

(OPINION) The need for after-abortion healing resulted in many groups taking on this critical work in the 1990s. Organizations such as Project Rachel, Rachel’s Vineyard, Forgiven and Set Free, SaveOne and Surrendering the Secret have since helped countless women and men begin their healing journeys.

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‘Indiana Jones,’ ‘Sound of Freedom’ And Evangelistic Resources For A New Era

(OPINION) “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” cost $294 million to make. It is likely a financial loss, as only 9% of viewers recommend it to friends and family. Compare this lack of enthusiasm with “Sound of Freedom,” which used crowdfunding to raise its $14.5 million budget and grossed nearly $3 million more than “Dial of Destiny” its opening weekend.

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Racial Healing Bus Tour Across America Touts Peace, Unity

In the Racial Healing of America Revival and Bus Tour, Christians sought reconciliation in five cities across the nation chosen for their significance in civil rights history — from Dallas to Washington. At its third stop in Birmingham, Alabama, speakers discussed peace and the blessings of fellowship and togetherness.

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Tim Ballard Quietly Leaves Two Anti-Trafficking Nonprofits

“Sound of Freedom,” the independent film about Tim Ballard, who founded the anti-trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad, is a big hit in theaters. But Ballard, OUR’s former CEO, quietly left the nonprofit before the film was released amid an internal investigation, according to Vice, which was first to report the news.

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‘The Miracle Club’ doesn’t take shortcuts on the path to forgiveness

(REVIEW) “The Miracle Club,” about four women from small-town Ireland who make the pilgrimage to Lourdes, is almost a miracle itself. It’s been in the works for nearly two decades and was filmed in only 21 days. Its screenplay is smart and engaging, exploring Christianity, family, confronting the past and womanhood.

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Ignoring Hollywood Depictions, Where Is The Biblical Mount Sinai Located?

(OPINION) Why would anyone wonder about the sacred spot where God through Moses revealed the Ten Commandments and other biblical laws? Just look at the name. Doesn’t everybody know that Mount Sinai must of course be on the Sinai Peninsula and, specifically, at a long-venerated location there? And yet some insist the true location is in Saudi Arabia.

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Canada Investigates Allegations That Nike Canada Corp. Used Uyghur Forced Labor

(ANALYSIS) On July 11, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise — the human rights watchdog reviewing complaints about possible human rights abuses by Canadian companies working outside Canada in the garment, mining, and oil and gas sectors — announced the launch of two separate investigations into allegations of Uyghur forced labor in the supply chains and operations of two Canadian companies.

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Rastafarians Gathering For The 131st Birthday Of Emperor Haile Selassie Are Still Grappling With His Death

(ANALYSIS) Many Christians believe that Jesus Christ was both human and divine, and will return to the Earth to reign over a righteous kingdom of his chosen people. Similarly, Rastafarians are of the view that Emperor Selassie is God, or Jah, who manifested in human form, and that they are God’s chosen people. They borrow generously from the King James Bible, braiding their theology around Black and African identity and culture.

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The Bible’s Most Frequently Repeated Commandment Isn’t What You Think

(OPINION) If I asked you to name the most repeated commandment in the whole Bible, you might offer up any one of various scriptural admonitions: Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. Thou shalt not kill. But the real answer might surprise you.

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