(OPINION) As leaders in the Body of Christ, nothing is more important than your personal testimony — your hard-earned reputation for soundness in life, faith, and practice. You are a representative of Jesus in a formal and public way, with believers looking to you for guidance and unbelievers looking at you, scrutinizing you for godliness.
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“Bob Marley: One Love,” a new movie that chronicles on the life of legendary reggae singer and songwriter — from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his death in 1981 — has put a spotlight on what it means to be Rastafarian. Widely considered an iconic figure in the history of music, he is revered as the pioneer of reggae and a symbol of peace.
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(ANALYSIS) A group of independent United Nations human rights experts called on the authorities in Hong Kong to drop all charges against Jimmy Lai and release him. Lai, a pro-democracy and human rights defender, has been detained and subjected to multiple Kafkaesque trials for fighting for freedom of speech.
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Even before last week’s shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally, Branden Mims was focused on reducing violence in this city that amassed a record 182 homicides in 2023. Mims, the 35-year-old minister for the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ, leads a nonprofit called Greater Impact that served more than 400 shooting victims last year.
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(REVIEW) A new documentary “God and Country” tries to warn against an American political movement that is corrupting both politics and Christianity — but its misrepresentation of the topic only makes its audience less informed and instead gives strength to the movement.
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(REVIEW) At the beginning of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” he describes himself as being in a dark place spiritually. Virgil, the protagonist of the one woman show “Spiritus/Virgil’s Dance,” finds herself in a similar position in the middle of her life: A job she hates, devoid of passion and breaking promises she’d made to herself in youth.
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In an effort to care more for nature over the next six weeks, Christians around the world can improve lives through eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyles emphasizing the transformative nature of Lent. A group based in the U.K. hopes Christians across Britain and around the wold will heed that call this year.
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The Archdiocese of New York condemned the funeral of a transgender leader held last week at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, calling the entire thing “sacrilegious” and that church official had been duped into performing the service. As a result, the cathedral conducted a rare “Mass of Reparation.”
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John Cooper’s straightforward opinions mirror the musical style that has brought numerous awards and nominations over the years. Around 2013, Cooper, by his own description, was an “average, Christian layperson who loved God, loved my church and loved my Bible.” He had a successful music career, and doing anything outside of that could potentially endanger the comfort he enjoyed.
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(OPINION) My dad, a minister of the gospel for 60 years, used to tell parishioners there was one thing they should never pray for: patience. “Tribulation worketh patience,” he’d say, quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. “Anytime you ask the Lord for patience, you might as well be praying for trouble.”
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Iranian Christians continued to face harassment, arrests and imprisonment last year for practicing their faith, according to a new report. The 35-page report, issued by four non-profit organizations advocating for persecuted Christians across the world, found that Christians have been deprived of their right to freely practice their faith.
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(OPINION) The Jerusalem cross raised bed has four quadrants facing west, north, east and south — each representing one of nature’s four seasons (fall, winter, spring and summer) — and one of the four Christian Gospels (Matthew, Mark, John and Luke/Acts). These will serve as a compass for a journey of inner transformation.
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(ANALYSIS) This past Jan. 27 marked the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The day designated for this remembrance day is no coincidence. On Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the biggest Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in then-occupied Poland.
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The controversial “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ads appear to have been funded by sneaky cultural conservatives who want seekers to join progressive churches.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways from the shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Founded more than half a century ago as student-run dining cooperative, Oberlin College’s kosher co-op morphed into a kosher-halal co-op in 1995, a place where Jewish and Muslim students cooked and ate together. It shuttered in 2021 before coming back — and just when the situation in the Middle East was worsening.
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Reading books about African Americans during the month of February has become an essential practice for promoting empathy, understanding and appreciation for what Blacks have contributed to American society. This is not just true of political, cultural and entertainment figures, but also ones that were central to religion.
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Award-winning Cree actress and activist Michelle Thrush spoke to students at Salish School of Spokane — giving them an insight into her life, how she got into acting, her culture and how she wants to tell stories from a place of honesty.
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Hattie Jo Collins was one of five children and 14 adults killed March 3, 2020, when an EF4 twister battered this community 80 miles east of Nashville. Despite Hattie’s death, Matt and Macy’s faith remained strong. They believe God has a purpose for them. As a result, the Magnolia Foundation was born.
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(REVIEW) “The Chosen” remains one of the strongest pieces of faith-based content being produced these days. The fourth season is, on balance, one of the strongest to date despite some flaws. Hopefully, the groundwork being laid in these middle episodes will feel worth it in the future.
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