North America
La historia de la Iglesia San Francisco en Valparaíso está tan entrelazada con la ciudad portuaria chilena que, cuando un incendio destruyó el edificio en 2013, una vecina sintió que estaba perdiendo a un amigo.
The history of San Francisco Church in Valparaíso is so intertwined with the Chilean port city that when a fire burned down the building in 2013, one neighbor felt like she was losing a friend. The city owes its nickname “Pancho” to the church (men named “Francisco” are often called “Pancho” in Latin America). Built in 1845 on a hill by the Franciscan order, the church served as a beacon for sailors who would say “Pancho a la vista” or “Pancho in sight,” when approaching the port city.
(REVIEW) “House of David” is the flagship title of the newly launched “Wonder Project,” and Season 2 is the biggest launch title for its new subscription platform. The series delivers on epic battles, complex characters and biblical themes. It recounts the ascent of the biblical figure David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel.
(ANALYSIS) If Charlie Kirk’s movement accomplishes its ambitious goals, it would rival America’s significant evangelical youth revival that erupted after World War II. “Parachurch” organizations formed during that era, like InterVarsity, The Navigators, Cru and YoungLife are all active today.
Nine months before she was killed by an Israeli airstrike, Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona started quoting “Shawshank Redemption.” “Hope is a dangerous thing,” she told Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi over a WhatsApp video call. Farsi and Hassona began talking in early 2024, after Farsi’s plans to make a documentary in Rafah were upended due to the closing of the border.
U.S. adults are nearly equally divided on how much of a role religion should play in public schools, according to a YouGov poll. A third (34 percent) say it doesn’t play enough of a role, a quarter (26 percent) say it’s involved about the right amount, and a quarter (26 percent) say religion plays too much of a role.
(ANALYSIS) Days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi poured gasoline on raging national debates about social media chatter celebrating the 31-year-old activist's death. Prominent conservatives immediately rejected her words, noting that her use of the term “hate speech” is one that, historically, has been used by the hard left.
Two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the start of the Jewish state’s military campaign in Gaza, a growing number of Americans are expressing skepticism toward Israel’s actions and the U.S. response to the conflict, according to a new survey. It reveals that 39% of Americans say Israel is going too far in its military operations against Hamas — an increase from 31% a year ago.
(ANALYSIS) The world went into lockdown in March and April of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Americans to stay home on a scale unseen in our lifetimes. Now, nearly four years removed from the height of the crisis, it’s clear that if life were going to snap back to “normal,” it would have already happened.
(OPINION) “If you are there and you’re listening, I’d appreciate some help,” the writer prayed. The response was stone silence.
(REVIEW) The information we have about the role of women in ancient Christianity is limited. Among the male disciples, only two prominent figures stand out: Mary and Mary Magdalene. Overall, women’s participation in church leadership has been restricted, and the appointment of women as priests and ecclesiastical leaders remains a controversial issue to this today.
(ANALYSIS) Weakened militarily and politically after two years of war with Israel, Hamas is facing growing pressure — from both Palestinians and the international community — to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump. The group has already agreed to release the remaining Israeli hostages and hand over control of Gaza to a technocratic Palestinian body.
(OPINION) Two years since the terror attacks launched by Hamas on Israel, there appears to be a persistent moral ambiguity on how the world has responded to Israel’s plight. Should they be faulted at all for their call to get Israeli hostages back and to demand the disarmament of Hamas to finally end the war in Gaza?
(ANALYSIS) Nearly 200 Tibetan Buddhist nuns from religious institutions across India and Nepal — a record number — gathered recently at the Dolma Ling Nunnery in northern India to take various levels of the “geshema” examination. These exams are in preparation for one day receiving the geshema degree, comparable with a doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
Dead Sea Scroll fragments and hundreds of other artifacts will be on display starting Nov. 22 at the Museum of the Bible’s “Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition,” brought in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
(ANALYSIS) Young men have stopped leaving church in droves and are probably just as religious as young women at this point.
It’s time to play “spot the headline,” a game that I have — for decades — watched mainstream journalists play as they cover the papacy.
(ANALYSIS) The announcement that Bishop Sarah Mullally will become the next Archbishop of Canterbury marks an extraordinary milestone in the Church of England’s long and complex history — but also sets the stage for a challenging chapter ahead. Her appointment is as symbolic as it is strategic. It comes at a moment when the church is navigating both internal turmoil and a shifting role in British public life.
Interest in communicating with the dead has continued to thread itself through contemporary American life. For a medium in Pennsylvania, communicating with loved ones helps bring her clients comfort. While the tradition of consulting seers and oracles is as old as the ancient Greeks, spiritualism in America really started to take off in the middle of the 19th century.
Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Dallas, on Thursday pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, beginning when she was just 12.
(REVIEW) The online series does a solid job of translating the biblical story and characters into a sit-com workplace comedy format. But, like the Israelites looking for the promised land, it has a long way to go before it gets there. The first season of “The Promised Land” is available on YouTube now with new episodes releasing each week.
The Anglican Church of Uganda has unveiled a digital land information management system to curb rampant land grabbing that threatens its vast properties. Land grabbing remains one of the church’s most pressing challenges in Uganda. Illegal squatters and unscrupulous land dealers have deprived the institution of the property church leaders had planned to develop for religious schools and worship space.
(ANALYSIS) The deadly attack at a synagogue in northern England on Yom Kippur — the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish calendar — has cast a long shadow over the safety and security of Jewish communities in Britain and beyond. The 10/7 attacks and their aftermath have exacerbated an already volatile environment.
(ANALYSIS) The question is whether Vatican leaders can build unity between bishops who back Pride Masses and those who approve Latin Masses.
(ANALYSIS) Many factors can shape how someone views abortion – gender, age and education, to name a few. Around the world, however, religious belief is the most powerful predictor that someone will disapprove, as I document in my 2025 book, “Fetal Positions.” Faith traditions’ teachings about abortion vary — and there is diversity of opinions within faiths, too.
(ANALYSIS) In our politically divided society, there are sharply differing reactions to the political rally combined with memorial tribute to Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10. But there is almost universal tribute to his young widow's moving testimony that she forgave his killer. There is also almost universal comment on the starkly contrasting words of President Trump immediately following.
Mike Bickle, former leader of International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC), has “disqualified himself permanently from holding any such high and honorable office anywhere in the Body of Christ in his lifetime,” according to a Pastoral Recommendation Team report. Bickle “failed to live in a manner commensurate with the Gospel message.”
(OPINION) I went to sleep this past Saturday night with a heavy heart. Just before saying goodnight to my family, I had picked up my phone and saw an Instagram post stating that Russell M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had passed away just hours before. He had recently turned 101, so his passing was not wholly unexpected, but I felt a wash of grief hit me nonetheless.
(OPINION) Greek Orthodox churches throughout the United States often host an annual event known as “The Greek Festival.” Depending on the venue, this festival will primarily consist of some of the best homemade food you’ll ever eat, as well as dancing and church tours.
Most pastors are confident their churches are helping people grow as Christians. Just don’t ask them how they know that. In the second part of the State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research, U.S. Protestant pastors describe their congregations’ discipleship approaches and reveal data behind some key spiritual growth metrics.