North America
Over the last few years, young educated adults are finding Catholicism more attractive than other forms of Christianity. Even at secular universities, these young men and women have settled on the Catholic Church, drawn in by its 2000-year-old intellectual tradition and beauty. Data from the prayer app Hallow shows that colleges saw students involved with Catholicism jump 115%.
(ANALYSIS) Israel’s election on Tuesday could mark a turning point for a country battered by war, political turmoil and growing international isolation. If the opposition manages to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the consequences could extend far beyond a change of leadership.
A Cleveland-area pastor publicly introduced a second wife to the world last Sunday, saying the widely held Christian teaching that a man should have only one wife is “unbiblical.” Israel Ford, founder of LifeWorks Church, posted a video of the announcement to Instagram on Oct. 25. His first wife and fellow pastor, Lydia Ford, introduced Minister Shakayla Talley Ford to congregants who gave the threesome a standing ovation.
This week, Religion Unplugged’s culture writers Joseph Holmes and Jillian Cheney sat down before Halloween to explore how Gen Z thinking is changing the horror genre.
(REVIEW) “Brotherhood” is a new film that seems to agree with the second viewpoint. It’s a Christian musical focused on the American immigration debate. Its constant sermonizing in nearly every line of dialogue and song lyric is a good reminder that preachiness undermines good filmmaking, regardless of the message.
(ANALYSIS) Movie studios have struggled through the pandemic and the streaming era, both of which have tanked box office receipts, leaving the field open for movies from offbeat production studios. In addition to The Daily Wire, there has been a whole ream of Christian movies attempting to shift the stereotype of bible movies to something more prestigious — or at least profitable.
(REVIEW) Filmed on location across the country, it holds grief and vitality side by side: the final service at Belding United Methodist Church in Michigan; a Minnesota farm-country Lutheran congregation; growing Hispanic, Korean-American and historic Black churches; house churches; new church plants; and even worship in virtual reality.
(ANALYSIS) Let’s actually dig into the widely held belief that American Orthodox Christianity is experiencing a huge surge in converts post-pandemic. The short answer: That’s a really hard claim to test with survey data, for a simple reason. There just aren’t that many Orthodox Christians in the U.S. to begin with.
(REVIEW) Gabe Bullard’s new book “Against Convenience” addresses some of these problems and argues “not against an easier path, but against the idea that the paths in front of us are truly any easier.”
(ANALYSIS) Military service is mandatory for most groups in Israel, although Muslim and Christian Arab citizens are exempted. Jewish Israelis see conscription as a unifying experience and a demonstration of commitment to the state. Starting at 18, most women serve two years and men serve almost three. For decades, however, Haredi men received de facto exemptions.
(REVIEW) Manga has always been a medium in which the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist. A playground can become a site of spiritual encounter, a forest can conceal ancient powers and a familiar creature can reveal a universe of supernatural possibilities.
Christians make up roughly 1% of Japan’s population, and churches are increasingly multicultural, welcoming immigrants from neighboring countries. However, national politics have taken a decidedly nationalistic turn in recent years — worrying Christians that they will once again be ostracized and even face persecution.
Within a decade of hitting the religion beat, around 1980, it was obvious to me that the demographic collapse of the “seven sisters” of liberal Protestantism was going to create a giant hole in American life. We are talking about these flocks — American Baptists, the Disciples of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.
If there was something off about the logo the Atlanta Falcons unveiled on social media this week, whoever runs their accounts did, uh, not see it.
After reading a recent piece this week at Religion Unplugged — headlined “AI might be conscious. If so, God help us” — I was curious: “Does AI have a soul?”
As the economy strains the U.S. public, pastors report increasing pressures and giving lagging behind inflation. Lifeway Research’s annual tracking survey reveals most U.S. Protestant pastors (54%) report the economy is negatively impacting their congregation. Slightly more than a third (36%) say it’s having no impact, while 8% see a positive economic effect.
(ANALYSIS) Where do you go to vote on Election Day? I am assuming that all you readers are actually voting. If you don’t, it’s my solemn duty as a classically trained political scientist to tell you that your vote matters and all that. I’ve voted in a bunch of different places in my life, especially when I was in college and graduate school.
(ANALYSIS) The planned execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan sparked renewed debate among Christians over capital punishment. Catholic leaders cited church teaching opposing the death penalty, while some evangelical leaders defended it biblically. Disagreement also centered on whether televising executions promotes justice or glorifies violence.
(ANALYSIS) As some religious studies scholars argue, the charge that Hindus worship false gods and idols took hold in American national culture nearly two centuries ago. Nineteenth-century American schoolbooks, shaped by Protestant beliefs, sorted religions into “true and false,” treating Hindu “idolatry” as proof of moral degradation.
Sharia, often called Islamic law, is a system of religious guidelines that inform how Muslims understand their responsibilities to God, themselves, their families and society. The Arabic word — sharia — is commonly translated as “the way” or “the path.” It refers to a way of life rooted in Islamic teachings rather than simply a collection of laws enforced by a government.
(ANALYSIS) From the Yazidis to the Rohingya, from the Uyghurs to other communities facing growing threats around the world, the use and abuse of AI, technology and social media must not go unpunished. Ignoring these new methods of persecution means that responses to such atrocities will never be adequate.
The latest grant round drew 466 applicants and includes the program’s first recipient in Arkansas, as historic houses of worship seek funding to preserve their buildings and community services.
Day after day, the senator-judges begin proceedings by asking God for the same things — truth, wisdom, justice and freedom from bias. As they prepare to decide Vice President Sara Duterte’s fate, those prayers have become an implicit measure of the responsibility they have assumed: To turn appeals for divine guidance into a verdict determined by evidence, law and conscience.
Wall Street investment banks have discovered what Southern Baptist financial ministries long have known: Dallas is a great place to do business. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are among the banks that have established or are considering major offices in Dallas. They join the headquarters of GuideStone Financial Resources and the Baptist Church Loan Corporation.
On this week’s show, Religion Unplugged spoke with “American Rambler” author Isaac Fitzgerald in order to separate fact from fiction in the tale of Johnny Appleseed and to understand how the writer’s own path, like the legendary figure, led to a connection with nature, an openness towards faith and a few legends of his own.
(ANALYSIS) There is also a contemporary way of eating lotus. It consists in settling in. At first, we live off our reserves: convictions, habits and certainties we acquired when we still remembered where we were going. Then we compromise.
St. John’s and two other Episcopal churches in Maine’s Aroostook County — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fort Fairfield and Church of the Good Shepherd in Houlton — have been without a spiritual director since the priest they shared retired last year.
(ANALYSIS) A significant case the U.S. Supreme Court will hear on appeal Nov. 3 evokes major elements of this century’s culture wars. This public policy clash pits claims based upon venerable religious rights against modern-day LGBT rights. It involves money and taxes, the Trump Administration, politicians of both parties, the Catholic Church and an array of national organizations.
(ANALYSIS) Returning to my failed flight to the mountains, my own beloved, a goddess in her own right, reminded me: “You are a student of Hinduism, and you know that the Himalayan peaks are goddesses.” Unlike the Hindus of Nepal, the Buddhists of Bhutan keep a respective distance from the goddess and their kings always banned mountaineering in their own Himalayas.
(OPINION) Never damage another person’s reputation simply for sport or to build your own social currency. Don't assume the worst about people; instead, try to assume the best. If you say something harmful that turns out to be untrue, make every effort to set the record straight.