(ANALYSIS) President Trump’s deportation drive is reshaping the 2026 battle for Congress, but celebrity protests and mass demonstrations show little evidence of moving voters. The real test may come in churches, especially among Catholics, whose leaders condemn mass deportations and whose increasingly fluid voting patterns could decide close races.
Read MoreHe doesn’t look a day over 104. James C. Turro turned 104 years old on Jan. 26 — and now is believed to hold the title of oldest priest in the Archdiocese of Newark — and likely the oldest Catholic cleric in all the United States. Over the decades, he’s become a beloved figure.
Read MoreOlympic biathlete Paul Schommer embraces a sport defined by extremes — grueling endurance followed by total stillness. As he prepares for his final Olympics in Milan, Schommer reflects on faith, redemption and perseverance, seeing parallels between biathlon’s challenges and life, where growth comes through adversity, focus, and grace beyond results.
Read MoreThe Christian Broadcasting Network is cutting 8.4% of its U.S. workforce as part of a strategic realignment, affecting dozens of employees. The Virginia Beach–based ministry cited a changing media and fundraising landscape while emphasizing continued global growth, digital expansion, and increasing international audience reach.
Read MoreCatholic pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday to 20 years behind bars in one of the most prominent prosecutions under a China-imposed national security law that has reshaped Hong Kong’s political landscape.
Read MoreKarim Kaarar guides visitors through the church of Saint Augustine and the archaeological ruins of ancient Hippo Regius nearly every day, tracing the footsteps of Augustine, one of Christianity's most influential thinkers. But the Algerian Christian knows that in 2026, this small community will host its most significant visitor yet: Pope Leo XIV.
Read More(OPINION) As a prolific writer — both fiction and non-fiction — when an inspiration hits me, I have to follow through on the process of getting my ideas on paper (or, in these modern times, typed into the computer) or it bugs me no end. My latest effort will, eventually, be a book about how not to be “beige.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) When we’re asked, “Are you religious?” There are a number of different ways someone might justify an affirmative answer. It could be that they attend a house of worship regularly or pray frequently. It could be that they hold specific beliefs about Jesus Christ or Muhammad. Those would be behavior and belief measures of religion. But there’s a third dimension that often gets overlooked: Belonging.
Read MoreMore than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries have gathered in Milan-Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, creating a unique opportunity. Southern Baptists are partnering with IMB missionaries and local churches to engage fans and athletes, sharing Christ boldly and praying the outreach sparks long-term ministry across Italy. The Winter Olympics conclude on Feb. 22.
Read MoreNorth Korea is right there. Standing on the observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark, holding cups of coffee from the brand new Starbucks behind them, visitors gaze across the Han River to the rolling hills of the world’s most isolated, enigmatic and repressive state.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, his body will be displayed for the first time ever in February, at the Basilica of San Francesco. Millions of visitors are expected to converge in the small Tuscan town of Assisi to honor the 13th-century saint.
Read MoreFor Don Lemon, here’s the bottom line: He says he was a journalist “on the front lines,” embedded with protestors whose actions were the subject of his reporting. In addition to the coffee and donuts, the lifestream suggests that he took part in discussions of which church to invade and the details of what to do during the protests.
Read MoreWith a record $1.76 billion expected to be wagered on the Super Bowl, more people are asking if legal sports betting is good or bad for America.
Read MoreA new ad from Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate will beam to millions, part of his years-long, multimillion dollar initiative to combat the Oldest Hatred. The campaign has given us two previous Super Bowl spots: One in which MLK’s speechwriter Clarence B. Jones urged us to speak against silence and, last year, as a counterpoint, one where Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady yelled at each other.
Read MoreJames Tabor opens his book, “Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus,” with a paradoxical statement: “Jesus’s mother, Mary, is the best-known, least-known woman in history.” He argues that she’s been lost through “the thick fog of later tradition and theology” and “systematically erased over the past two millennia.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) A Roman basilica’s removal of a cherub resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reveals how quickly sacred art can become political symbolism. The controversy highlighted tensions between church and state, revealing how religious spaces amplify power when contemporary political figures become a part of devotional imagery.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo warned that, “The stakes are high. The power of simulation is such that AI can even deceive us by fabricating parallel ‘realities,’ usurping our faces and voices. We are immersed in a world of multidimensionality where it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from fiction.”
Read More(REVIEW) Faith-based films about sex trafficking are becoming more common, reflecting cultural anxieties and a push toward grittier storytelling. “Still Hope” exemplifies this trend, offering a sincere portrayal of recovery, but ultimately faltering through one-dimensional characters, didactic messaging and a tendency to prioritize education over authentic stories.
Read MoreThe Rev. Erickson Mugo knows what it means to be a Christian living with a disability. “We have been called upon by the Lord to always proclaim peace and blessings in our homes and society,” he said. “When we encourage one another … we invest ourselves in doing good. May the Lord enable us to invest ourselves in our homes, villages and societies.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the complexities in Venezuela continue to evolve, President Donald Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with democratic opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Universal consensus says her party won the 2024 presidential vote by two-thirds or better, whereupon dictator Nicolás Maduro, now imprisoned in New York City, stole the office.
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