(ANALYSIS) Anyone who thinks mental health is not a key issue for churches and ministries is simply not paying attention. But could our smartphones really be responsible for all this carnage and suffering?
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(OPINION) Most Christians take for granted that profanity is sinful, but does the Bible actually address it? Back in 2013, I noted with concern that “it is increasingly common to hear about worship leaders getting drunk after church services and dropping f-bombs while they boast about their ‘liberty’ in the Lord.” Now, my good friend John Cooper, the frontman for the Christian rock band Skillet, has confronted the use of profanity in “Christian” music.
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Kenya’s Conference of Catholic Bishops said it opposes the sex education content in the country’s primary education curriculum, citing flaws in the curriculum’s “permissive” framing and design. The bishops have further said the curriculum’s content would contribute to the rate of teen pregnancies and exacerbate moral decline in the East African country.
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(ANALYSIS) I hope Christians noted a ruling last week in Massachusetts. A Christian couple, Michael and Kitty Burke, was deemed unfit for a foster care license. Michael served in Iraq as a Marine; Kathy is a former paraprofessional for kids with special needs. They sought to adopt through the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families’ foster care program.
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(ANALYSIS) On Aug. 15, 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and took control of the country. Subsequent months have seen severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls, religious minorities and much more.
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(OPINION) I realized with a bit of a start that if my mom were still here she would have turned 90 on Aug. 6. Sad to say, she passed away in 2003. Here are some virtues she showed me, largely by living them, not by preaching them. Maybe they’ll speak to you, too:
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(REVIEW) How have we become like gods? Tracing the story from the Middle Ages, with its philosophical culmination in Nietzsche and modern manifestation in the transhumanist movement and the Kardashians, author Tara Isabella Burton explains how humanity has come to seek flourishing apart from God in her book “Self-Made.”
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(ANALYSIS) Like everybody else, American religion writers are caught in a politics-drenched environment that for Republicans gets hot with the first debates Aug. 23 and Sept. 27 and presumably wraps up with the Ohio primary March 19, if not before.
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Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, talked about their faith — not to mention their family and fastballs — during the team’s Christian Faith and Family Day. Clayton and Ellen — high school sweethearts who married in 2010 — are natives of Dallas and the parents of four children: Cali Ann, Charley, Cooper and Chance.
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Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, has created a political firestorm after announcing plans to base its rule on Christian values in the event it wins power in this month’s elections.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in covers the resignation of a top Southern Baptist Convention official for lying on his resume. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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The book invites readers to shift their perspective on anxiety from something to be eschewed or suppressed to an occasion for spiritual development and renewal. Chang presents a vision of anxiety grounded in scripture: particularly in the life of Jesus. Chang shows us how we can engage with anxiety as an invitation for growth, rather than as an occasion to perpetuate fear and shame.
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There were 200 synagogues in Latvia before World War II. Peitav-Shul is the only synagogue building to have survived both the Nazi and the Soviet occupations of Riga. The bright blue interior, built in 1905, is decorated with Egyptian and Assyrian-Babylonian geometric patterns. The Aron Kodesh (the Holy Ark), where the Torah scrolls are kept, faces Jerusalem. A marble pulpit faces the congregation.
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In the latest wave of departures from the United Methodist Church, the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church voted last week to approve the disaffiliation of another 46 churches. It was the conference’s second such vote this year.
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Authorities arrested Robert Dell, 56, and four other associates for stealing merchandise worth more than $1.4 million from several of The Home Depot stores and then selling the merchandise on eBay under the name “Anointed Liquidator.” The virtual store has 100% approval rating and has registered more than 35,000 items sold over the past decade, according to its page on the online retailer’s website.
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(VIDEO) Kuki-Zo leaders are demanding an investigation into their allegations that attacks on civilians and village volunteers — a term used for ordinary youth guarding their villages with guns against purported regular assaults by Meitei extremist groups — are being carried out by state forces in northeastern India.
Read More(OPINION) Many modern churches may be weak when it comes to architecture and sacred art, but they almost always have concert-level lighting, sound and multimedia technology. But in a few sanctuaries linked to ancient traditions, worship leaders are trying something different. In some Eucharistic services, they are offering worshippers with autism an atmosphere that is more calm and less intense.
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(ANALYSIS) Three influential cards have always played well in Pakistan’s political arena: Sunni Islam, the army and patriotism. Being a Sunni Muslim makes you powerful and provides a deep sense of being an extraordinary Pakistani.
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Faith nights at MLB ballparks across the nation feature Christian music, player testimonials and prayers. The theme events are part of marketing efforts to boost baseball’s ticket sales.
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(OPINION) I recently attended a funeral for a friend’s mother. I hadn’t met her, but I knew she was important to my friend. And I’d be a crummy friend if I didn’t go and show my support. Right away, there was something different. The family started handing cannabis joints/pre-rolls and lighters to each guest when they entered.
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