Violence by Islamic extremist groups such as Fulani militants, Boko Haram and Islamic State in West African Province increased during the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicenter of targeted violence against the church. The West African nation of 226 million is divided evenly between Christians and Muslims.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religious debate stirred by the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on in vitro fertilization. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreArtist and human rights activist Hannah Rose Thomas has recently published an art book, “Tears of Gold,” which is filled with painted portraits of women who had escaped violence in their respective countries. The book also contains self-portraits of these women, along with their own words.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Several prominent figures in the Christian right have offered justification for anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. The Christian right has asserted the need to protect the American culture and families from the alleged dangerous influence of Islam and from the supposed wave of hardened criminals crossing the southern border.
Read More(REVIEW) While the Season 4 finale was weaker in its character payoffs than I would have liked, it still is the strongest season overall since the first. The stories are more focused, the drama more intense, the characters gelling more and the filmmaking seamlessly skillful. It’s what keeps me and the audience coming back for more.
Read More(REVIEW) My prime recommendation this month is “The Augustine Way.” Authors Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen first set the scene by showing that the great thinker grew up in a sinking society not all that unlike our own: highly sexualized and solipsistic, with philosophers viewing Christians with condescension and saying we should self-authenticate our own truths.
Read MoreEvangelicals’ nuanced views on immigration should encourage faith leaders to offer biblical responses to all concerns, key evangelical leaders said upon the release of a new Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table. Both the compassionate care of immigrants and border security rank high among evangelicals, the poll showed.
Read MoreA conservative legal group based in Arizona is suing the U.S. Department of Education over the $37.7 million fine it issued against Grand Canyon University. The Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit against the federal agency in order to obtain documents explaining the reason behind the fine.
Read MoreRecently, the T.D. Jakes Foundation announced $9 million in grants to 16 community-based organizations in “historically underrepresented communities” across the country in collaboration with Wells Fargo.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What has changed in the last few years, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, is that anti-Christian vandalism often includes spray-painted slogans such as, "If abortion isn't safe, then neither are you," swastikas and nasty graffiti.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s only one tradition where a majority say that they are born-again: Protestants. Which makes sense, right? The next highest is “something else.”
Read MoreAaron Lansky, who went looking for Yiddish books as a graduate student and ended up preserving the language and its culture with a collection of 1.5 million volumes, is retiring from the Yiddish Book Center that he founded in Amherst, Mass., in 1980.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Lent serves as a profound reminder of the spiritual freedom we have in Christ, mirrored in His death and resurrection. As we journey through this season of contemplation and preparation, we are invited to make space for God in our lives, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. This concept of making space extends beyond personal reflection to encompass broader religious and spiritual freedom.
Read MoreIn his new book, Ian Johnson features Chinese historians who record the darkest episodes of Communist Party rule. The current president of China, Xi Jinping, calls alternatives to the state-sponsored narrative of Communist rule “historical nihilism.” For Xi, Chinese Communism is “the conclusion of history.”
Read MoreDays after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple built over a mosque demolished by agitators in 1990, a new report by the Archaeological Survey of India found that another mosque had been built over a pre-existing Hindu temple. A court ruling that followed the survey granted Hindus permission to conduct prayers in one of the mosque's four cellars, igniting tensions with Muslims.
Read MoreThe president of Calvin University, a Christian school based in Michigan, was forced to resign following “inappropriate messages,” the school said on Monday.
Read More(EXPLAINER) The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) healthcare system announced that it was pausing all in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertility treatments. This pause is due to the perceived fear of prosecution and lawsuits in light of the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, Feb. 16, stating that human beings in the embryonic stage have the same legal rights and protections as children who are born.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Assuming it’s game on for an inevitable rerun of Trump vs. Biden, with a predicted narrow victory margin, what religious dynamics will be playing out?
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Feb. 14 election of Indonesia's current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as the country’s president should raise concern in the U.S., both because of who he is and also the chicanery surrounding his campaign. Official results will still take some weeks to appear and there are allegations of election fraud.
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