Many Americans particularly sense that discrimination against Muslims and Jews has risen since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The vast majority of U.S. Muslims and Jews agree: 7 in 10 Muslims and 9 in 10 Jews surveyed said they have felt an increase in discrimination against their respective groups since the war began last October.
Read MoreDante has inspired countless artists through the centuries. Such has been the influence of Dante’s poem on Vietnamese American artist Tammy Nguyen, that she has devised an ambitious three-part exhibition, “A Comedy for Mortals,” inventively interpreting the text through the lens of Cold War-era geopolitics in Southeast Asia.
Read More(ANALYSIS) It has been more than 500 years since Vatican decrees gave European colonizers permission to carve up the “New World” – and just one since Pope Francis disavowed them. The repudiation can hardly undo centuries of oppressing Indigenous people and stealing their lands. Yet the statement is monumental in ways that signal cultural and political shifts within the Catholic Church.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I read a story a few weeks ago in the Free Press that had an intriguing title, “Latinos are flocking to evangelical Christianity.” The piece was an excerpt from a book called “Latinoland: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority.” The book is based on over 200 interviews with Hispanics from all facets of American society in order to develop a clearer picture of what Hispanic culture looks like in the United States.
Read MoreA six-week abortion ban with exceptions will be implemented in Florida, but voters will also have the option of enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution in November. The changes flow from two Florida Supreme Court rulings April 1. The first, which upheld a 15-week ban, also means that Florida will be able to implement a six-week ban that Gov. Ron DeSantis has already signed into law.
Read MoreMansour Khajehpour’s faith journey began in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad in a Presbyterian church. He was 13 years old when the Iranian revolution took place. As a young, eager Muslim, he wanted to do his part to aid the revolution.
Read MoreFormer educators at Midland Christian School in Texas open up about the federal lawsuit they filed and their desire for an apology after they were arrested and accused — wrongly and maliciously, they contend — of trying to conceal a student’s alleged sexual assault from police in 2022.
Read More(REVIEW) It’s a shame that “Solo Planet” has such a ho-hum subtitle: “How Singles Help the Church Recover Our Calling.” It should be: “An Intrepid Reporter Surveys Christian Singles on Six Continents during a Whirlwind 17-month Tour.” Which is what Anna Broadway did. Having already written one book on singles, this 40-something single evangelical woman noticed that most literature on the topic came from an English-speaking, American perspective.
Read MorePastor Manuel Castro was in tears. Sobbing, he recalled his frustration and heartbreak at having to halt Iglesia Bautista Gethsemani’s food distribution ministry after the city threatened his arrest. For 25 years, Castro said he has ministered to the spiritual and humanitarian needs of the agricultural town, near the Mexican border, including many seasonal workers with an unemployment rate of 28.1 percent.
Read More(REVIEW) For the past five weekends, the horror movie “Exhuma” has topped box offices in South Korea, its country of origin. This movie, which recently opened in America, is a harrowing must-see. It brings to mind “The Wailing,” a South Korean horror movie from 2016. Both movies wrestle with identity and religion in a variety of ways that also includes a dislike of Japan, a former colonizer, and what it means to be pro-Korean.
Read More(EXCERPT) Mark David Hall’s new book, “Who’s Afraid of Christian Nationalism: Why Christian Nationalism is Not an Existential Threat to America or the Church,” shows that Christian nationalism does not, as its critics claim, pose “an existential threat to American democracy and the Christian church in the United States.” As well, it critiques the handful of Americans who advocate for Christian nationalism.
Read More(OPINION) For many years now, it has been clear that America has been in a steep moral and spiritual decline, despite some genuine revival movements along with some holy pushback against the growing cultural insanity. But two recent examples confirm that we are now in moral freefall. What took place over Easter weekend is further proof of it.
Read More(REVIEW) How big a threat is “Christian nationalism?” Fear of Donald Trump increased the revenues of big media companies in 2016, and fear of “Christian nationalism” in 2024 is helping the sale of books screaming about it.
Read More(OPINION) It occurred to me that although my grandfathers are long since gone, they’re not gone, either. Nothing lasts — yet, somehow, it does. It’s a paradox. They’re dead and they’re still alive.
Read MoreThe Chalmers Center — known for the book “When Helping Hurts” — wants to help more Christians “rethink poverty and respond with practical biblical principles so that all are restored to flourishing.” In an effort to extend its reach and build a movement, the Chalmers Center has instituted an ambassador program.
Read More(EXPLAINER) Since 2000, the two holidays have overlapped every year but four — in 2005, 2008, 2016 and this spring. Easter is calculated based on the Christian liturgical calendar tied to the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Passover, on the other hand, is determined by the Jewish calendar, which is also lunar-based. That’s where the similarities end.
Read MoreWhen Mark Hui, pastor of Brooklyn Chinese Baptist Church in New York, felt God calling him 50 years ago to start a church for Chinese-speaking people, he thought it would be as easy as opening a restaurant. The actual start was harder and despite the 300 flyers distributed announcing the new church, the first service in March 1974 included only three adults, two of whom were Hui and his wife.
Read MoreWhen you grow to 6-foot-4 and 297 pounds by the time you’re 16, “Joshua Alan” just doesn’t fit the script the way “Bear” does. With two years of ball left for Cass High in White, Georgia, Bear continues to collect offers even after the recruit made a verbal commitment to Arkansas. When the state of Georgia approved Name, Image and Likeness deals for high school athletes, it opened up opportunities for players like Bear to reap a big windfall.
Read MoreIn the year since the Covenant School shootings, authorities — think FBI — have said they cannot release the manifesto and diaries of shooter Audrey (Aiden) Hale because they are relevant to ongoing investigations. If that is the case, then it’s safe to assume that these investigations are real. If they are not real, then that’s a stunning fact in an of itself.
Read MoreAs Christians approach Easter, Baptists sheltered in the remnants of Gaza Baptist Church are so worn out they “no longer have the energy to suffer,” a leader there told the Christian Mission to Gaza. At the same time, Israel Defense Forces have decreased their attacks on Gaza in recent days.
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