(ANALYSIS) I can take a larger step back from the immediate conflict and talk about Judaism in the United States in a broader way. This is what reporters call “talking on background.” I do these kinds of calls with the media on a regular basis. Just trying to help them get a lay of the land. They aren’t looking for a pithy quote, they are just seeking to understand the topic in a more nuanced and empirically accurate way.
Read MoreJohnson made ELCA history when he was elected on the fifth ballot to serve a six-year term as bishop of ELCA’s Sierra Pacific synod, which includes Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada. As a result, Johnson is the first openly gay man to be elected bishop in the synod.
Read MoreFor years, school board campaigns remained non-partisan. However, with education issues taking center stage regarding such contentious issues as transgenderism, school boards have emerged as new political and cultural battlegrounds between the political left and right.
Read More(OPINION) There’s no better indicator of how fraught things have become in the upper echelons of the Catholic Church than Pope Francis’ surprising last-minute decision to clamp strict secrecy upon his all-important Synod of Bishops. This Vatican assembly, very likely the major event of his reign, is running through Oct. 29 with a second, concluding session a year from now.
Read MoreThe harrowing footage featuring decapitations and torture was released to dispel what Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy characterized as “a Holocaust-denial-like phenomenon happening in real-time” as some on social media question the veracity of the Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Amid the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war, observers in the region and internationally continue to make assumptions about Gazan public support for Hamas. Mistaken assumptions such as those by U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, claiming that all Gazans are “antisemitic,” or those that blame Gazans for “electing Hamas” may shape debates not only on how the war is perceived, but also over relief plans for Gazans in the months ahead.
Read More(ANALYSIS) During Babe Ruth’s heyday, his fame didn’t only help baseball — but religion, too. Anti-Catholic sentiment was prevalent in the United States during Ruth’s era, and his proud demonstrations of his Catholic faith helped ameliorate that prejudice.
Read MoreAs tensions between Moscow and Washington, D.C. rise along the Ukrainian border, an officer responsible for some of the most powerful weapons in the U.S. arsenal tells his men that he knows how to respond to the situation because he has seen it all before — in the Book of Revelation. While the scenario sounds like the plot of a Tom Clancy novel, this is no work of fiction.
Read More(OPINION) It’s not in any way trivializing the ongoing horrors in the Middle East to point out that all of us are equally vulnerable to our own private apocalypses. What does good religion say to us at times such as this — and at all times? Plenty, actually.
Read More(OPINION) The Washington Post recently featured an unusually lengthy newspaper essay by Kate Cohen, a contributing columnist. Cohen’s takeaways are that religion is irrational, there are a lot more atheists out there than you’d imagine, that they should share their beliefs widely and that atheists make demonstrably better citizens than do the religious. But for me, Cohen’s essay is also misleading.
Read MoreA bitter disagreement erupted this month in Uganda’s Parliament between the office of the speaker and opposition legislators over the violation of freedom of worship by security forces in the country.
Read More(REVIEW) In his new book, “Heartbeat: An American Cardiologist in Kenya,” Dr. David Silverstein, who is Jewish, recounts the highs and lows of being Moi’s personal physician. It meant that he was privy to some of the biggest secrets and decisions ever made in Kenya.
Read MoreA blast went off at a building located on the campus of St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City, a place where scores of Palestinians had been sheltering from Israeli air strikes. Some 500 Muslims and Christians had been staying on the church grounds following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the crucial religion angles related to the Israel-Hamas war. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As a scholar of global Islam, I teach an introduction to Islam course and include a discussion about Al-Aqsa as part of the syllabus. That’s because Al-Aqsa has deep religious significance for Muslims around the world. But it is also important to highlight its remarkable political relevance for Palestinians.
Read More(REVIEW) Now, Angel Studios is trying to stake its claim in the documentary space with this year’s “After Death” and its upcoming adaptation of the book “Live Not By Lies.” “After Death” is a rewarding — if imperfect — exploration of near-death experiences for the faithful and the curious, and a hopeful step forward for faith-based documentaries.
Read MorePope Francis led a prayer vigil at the Vatican to recall the plight of migrants and refugees, saying everyone is “called to be neighbors.” The service took place during the Synod on Synodality, a gathering of bishops and laypeople, and comes as large numbers of people have been forced to flee the Global South to places like the U.S. and Europe.
Read MoreThe heated discourse about the deadly rocket explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza is rooted in the centuries-old religious hatred underlying the current war in Gaza. Immediately after the blast, journalists accepted Hamas’ account blaming the Israel Defense Forces for the deadly attack.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Particularly in the West, people tend to think about religion in terms of belief in a higher power, such as God. For many nones, however, spirituality does not need a god or the supernatural to address questions of purpose, meaning, belonging and well-being. While abandoning mainstream religious affiliation, many turn to alternative expressions, including secular, atheist and psychedelic churches.
Read More(OPINION) The most urgent action needed is the return of the hostages and the provision of assistance to all those affected. It is also crucial to protect civilians from further harm. Furthermore, justice and accountability are key. This raises the question in relation to the involvement of the International Criminal Court.
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