Weekend Plug-in columnist Bobby Ross Jr. reflects on his 35 years in full-time journalism. It started with the editor of a small-town Oklahoma newspaper taking a chance on him.
Read MoreIn the post-pandemic era, it appears that more and more Americans are conducting their spiritual searches in multiple sets of pews or, perhaps, attending one church in person and another via digital streaming. It’s a seeker-friendly, mix-and-match approach.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Two recent announcements about two upcoming faith-based releases that could be game-changers for the industry: Angel Studios and The Wonder Project’s “Young Washington” and Mel Gibson’s “The Resurrection of the Christ.” While the announcements have mostly gone under the radar, they have the potential to upend the Hollywood landscape as we know it for a long time to come.
Read MoreActivist Hooman Khalili hopes to inspire Iranian women to resist abuse and terrorism through murals displayed on college campuses across the United States. The murals, he said, are meant to spark civil discourse — especially among students — and draw attention to the fight for human rights in Iran at a time when all the focus is on Gaza and Ukraine.
Read MoreLiberty Counsel has filed the opening brief to seek dismissal of a wrongful termination case brought by a former Liberty University employee who hid his steps to transition and identify as a female during the hiring process.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What’s your most evangelistic T-shirt? I’ve got a bunch from my church — youth camps where I was a counselor, mission trips, Leadership Training for Christ. But the T-shirt that gets the most comments simply says “Jesus ♥ You.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) With a nod to digital life, Merriam-Webster has expanded its “influencer” definition to include a “person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.” Pope Leo XIV didn't use that term in his latest remarks on faith in the internet age, even while addressing the recent Vatican Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Influencers.
Read More(ESSAY) On Aug. 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped a bomb called “Fat Man” on Urakami, Japan, the most Christian suburb of the most Christian city in Japan: Nagasaki. It is the forgotten bomb, the silent bomb. Hiroshima, being the city where the first nuclear bomb, less powerful than the Nagasaki bomb was detonated, is the atomic bombing that all peace movements acclaim: “No more Hiroshimas!”
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a summer when world leaders debate regulation of artificial intelligence and digital platforms scramble to retain user trust, Pope Leo XIV is offering a different vision — rooted not in control but in communion, not in efficiency but in encounter. Over a million young people under the Roman twilight, that invitation resonated — not as nostalgia, but as a hopeful step into the future.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Ask Harvard University. But first, British philosopher John Locke said each person has God-given rights to life, liberty, and property. America’s Declaration of Independence replaced “property” with “the Pursuit of Happiness” as among humans’ “unalienable Rights … endowed by their Creator.” On the brink of the Declaration’s 250th anniversary, just how can happiness be pursued?
Read MoreOver the last 42 years, tens of thousands of Gospel conversations have taken place during the annual Brazil mission trip, thousands upon thousands of professions of faith have been heard, and as of last month, 75 churches have been built.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art” is a deeply academic tome. Its 480 pages includes an extensive set of endnotes that will no doubt prove invaluable to future scholarship, while its large appendix is itself a significant resource. Yet, with Anderson’s lucid and well-informed writing style, this book will be accessible to a wide audience of readers.
Read MoreYou wouldn’t usually think of going to a pub for a church service — especially for a baptism — but this is all in a day’s work for the Rev. Ben Woodfield. He has been holding services at The Mosley Arms for three years when parishioner Mike McGarry asked to reaffirm the promises made at his childhood baptism. The reverend simply arranged a time and date and brought along a portable baptistery.
Read MoreBaptist Student Ministries. Baptist Collegiate Ministries. Baptist Campus Ministries. Christian Challenge. By whatever name, it still produces missionaries and the next generation of Southern Baptist leaders.
Read MoreOver 10 weeks, boys progressed from basic stances and footwork to live sparring, with each session building confidence alongside muscle memory. What started as tentative jabs evolved into combinations as the young fighters learned to face adversity head-on. “I learned to protect myself,” said 9-year-old Kohanim Chavez. “I had a good time with my dad, and he was one of the best trainers.”
Read More(OPINION) A professor explained that “art” was short for “artifice.” Art was an interpretation, a cleverly designed facsimile crafted to produce a particular insight or reaction. It evoked the essence of a real thing, but it was in fact not the thing. You had to keep your audience in mind.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The situation in Gaza requires urgent attention and response from the international community — to prevent further civilian suffering and death. While some steps have been taken to provide humanitarians assistance, as it stands, the steps appear to be too little and too late to address the current and ever-growing needs of the population.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Christian transhumanism sounds like a contradiction — because it is. For years, transhumanism has been tied to atheism. Man becoming god. Machines replacing miracles. But now, a strange movement is growing in America. Some believers argue that resurrection and uploading your mind aren't so different. That eternal life through tech is an upgrade, not heresy.
Read More(OPINION) If you are a regular reader of MinistryWatch, and you appreciate our approach to the news, you should know about Bob Case. In fact, if you read WORLD Magazine, or Christianity Today, or The Dispatch, or any of dozens of other news outlets, you have — whether you know it or not — been influenced by Bob Case.
Read More(ANALYSIS) PCA folks, it’s your moment — few denominations punch above their weight online like you do. Here’s why.
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