(ANALYSIS) The issue of how the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture, has been depicted for cinematic effect has been a subject of controversy since the film came out earlier this summer. In fact, an intimate scene has sparked public outrage in India.
Read MoreOliver Anthony counted about 20 listeners when he performed earlier this summer at a produce market in coastal North Carolina. That was before Aug. 8, when YouTube channel radio posted his “Rich Men North Of Richmond” video. More than 35 million views later, as of this week, the unknown country singer from Farmville, Virginia, has become a culture-wars lightning rod.
Read More(REVIEW) The film tells the story of Ricky Hill, a preacher’s kid with degenerative spinal disease who nonetheless shows an incredible love and talent for baseball. The film has a lot to offer to faith-based families in the first half of the movie — but the second part is crushed under the weight of its cliches and terrible “dreams versus faith” message.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What emerged from the eight candidates (Trump did not attend) on stage at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee was an often-heated two-hour debate in which they weren’t afraid to bring up faith and family as a reason why Biden’s America has been a failure.
Read MoreDespite Sikhism’s denouncement of dowry, the tradition of demanding monetary or material gifts from the spouse’s family persists. As more individuals from Punjab pursue opportunities abroad, “reverse dowry” has left families shattered, marriages in ruins and spouses abandoned.
Read MoreThousands of internally displaced Nigerians are currently being kept in camps that are not habitable. But the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria, a local nongovernmental organization, is providing support to victims of attacks in the country.
Read More(ANALYSIS) While this pontiff has been a divisive figure in the Catholic Church (especially in the United States and Western Europe), Francis’ popularity in his homeland is also waning. It’s a departure from the fervor of a decade ago when Jorge Bergoglio, the cardinal of Buenos Aires, was elected pope. Much of the country celebrated. These days, Francis generates divided opinions.
Read More(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?
Read More(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.
Read MoreKenya’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.
Read More(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.
Read More(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.
Read More(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:
Read More(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.”
Read More(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.
Read MoreLos 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.
Read MoreZimbabwe’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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThere 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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