(OPINION) In the midst of the horrors of the last week, it’s important to remember that Hamas has never wanted peace with Israel. Instead, the express goal of Hamas since its inception was the destruction of Israel. As stated in its first charter, published in 1988, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” It was — and is — the mission of Hamas to obliterate Israel, not make peace with Israel.
Read MoreHaving weathered the pandemic, during which no tourists were admitted to Israel, the Custodians of the Holy Land now face the grim challenge of administering to their flock during the current war in Gaza. Once again, Christian pilgrims cannot reach or visit holy sites. Formerly crowded with pilgrims, churches remain open for now — but largely empty.
Read MoreAs Israeli forces mount a ground invasion of Gaza following last week’s Hamas attack on thousands of civilians, Christians across the Holy Land called for both sides to “de-escalate this war” and end this “new cycle of violence.” Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders said the violence following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 8 that killed 1,300 Israelis should come to an end.
Read More(REVIEW) It’s deeply fitting and gratifying that the Catholic director’s career-long struggle with God would lead to possibly his best and most Christian film to date. Hopefully his work will inspire others to wrestle with God and imagine the world as well as he does.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I wanted to explore that gender gap on marriage a bit. But also I wanted to see how all of that related back to religion. I think it goes without saying that lots of people have found their current spouse at a house of worship. But is being single driving women further away from religion than unmarried men? These are questions worth some analysis and reflection.
Read More(OPINION) Is Ukraine a “just war”? The good news for Russia’s Vladimir Putin: A significant national leader announces that his invasion of Ukraine is a “just fight” that will end with “a great victory in the sacred struggle.” The bad news: The speaker is North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, so what’s “just” is defined by probably the most despised despot on the planet and what’s “sacred” by an atheist who works to exterminate all religion.
Read MoreSurvivalist and author Bear Grylls got baptized in the Jordan River, he posted on social media this Monday. “It had always been a dream of mine to get in the water that Jesus was baptized in by my hero John the Baptist,” the 49-year-old shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Read MoreA week after the attacks and the number of dead Israelis has topped 1,300, making it the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. In response, Israel has been bombing Hamas targets and directed the evacuation of northern Gaza, a region that is home to 1.1 million people, in anticipation of a possible ground assault.
Read MoreFall means NFL football, and NFL football means that staffers with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Cru, are busy serving a number of NFL teams. Unlike Major League Baseball, which uses Baseball Chapel to offer players and coaches regular chapel services before nearly every game, NFL teams vary in their commitment to introducing chaplains and pastors to their organizations.
Read More(OPINION) Christians in the Middle East and other places (like Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh) have also had to endure for decades (or even hundreds of years) living in territories occupied by different Islamic groups.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Oct. 4, 2023, Francis released an addendum to “Laudato Si,” addressed to “all people of good will on the climate crisis.” October 4 marks the feast day of the pope’s namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, who famously loved all of creation. The new installment, “Laudate Deum” – “Praise God” – is no less sweeping in the way it links environmental problems with economic, social and technological issues.
Read MoreLess than a week after Hamas attacked Israel, there is a debate in the Arab world as to whether the war crimes carried out by the terror group — including raping girls and abducting elderly women — should be condemned by practicing Muslims.
Read More(OPINION) Catholic priests are not used to hearing penitents laugh while lined up for confession. When Father Joseph Krupp peered out of the booth one day, he saw that his broad-chested, 72-pound boxer was in a chair and, when the line moved, the dog took the next chair.
Read MoreAndy Stanley’s sermon on Sunday, which sought to clarify his stance on LGBTQ+ issues, is evoking condemnation from nonaffirming Christian leaders and praise from ones that affirm same-sex relationships.
Read MoreGroups of thieves across Uganda and Kenya are breaking into churches, stealing and damaging expensive items kept inside the houses of worship. Since the start of the year, vandals have broken into at least seven churches in Uganda and ransacked them. Several churches in the neighboring Kenya have also been robbed in recent months.
Read MoreOver the past few days, the Israeli war against Hamas has dominated conversations. Although this debate is going on practically everywhere in the world, for Kenyans it is a bit more personal since the country has been the target of militant Islamists. In addition, the East African nation was once proposed as a possible settlement for the then-stateless Jews.
Read MoreA coalition of diverse Christian leaders across the United States have intensified their fight this week against the death penalty, arguing that the state does not have the right to take the life of another. The fight against the death penalty is nothing new. While executions across the country have been in steady decline, many lawmakers are running on platforms seeking for it to be used more.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Can the faith-based film industry shift from appealing to married women to single women? It’s highly doubtful. It would require a huge shift in talent and genre that I don’t see evidence for. Certainly, the happily-married, evangelical men who now run the faith-based film industry would be unlikely to do it.
Read More(ESSAY) We heard the multiple boom of Israel’s air defense system — known as Iron Dome — intercepting a rocket barrage fired from Gaza. The strike lit up the sky. The threat was over, at least until the next alert. Nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians had been killed, including 260 massacred at the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im, after Hamas on Saturday launched a surprise attack.
Read More“(pray)” is a choreopoem that tells a story through the lens of a feminine experience in a Black Baptist Church. It blends the past with the present, the divine with the earthly and the fear of the unknown with the delight of faith.
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