As always, the annual U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report focused on trends in nations known for bitter religious conflicts and the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians. The list of offenders of “particular concern” included China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and others. The commission pushed to add Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Vietnam to that list.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Shakespeare’s works are, and have always been, profoundly theological — not because they provide answers but because they compel us to confront fundamental questions of existence. Is there justice in the universe? Do our actions have eternal consequences? Can the worst among us be saved? These questions not easily answered, if they can be answered at all. These are questions that still haunt us.
Read More(REVIEW) Six months after the invasion of Ukraine, the Putin regime announced a document titled “State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values.” The document aimed to shape the worldview of Russians, including a “strong family.” Putin has utilized the rhetoric surrounding traditional values, which the Russian Orthodox Church has promoted, for his own purpose.
Read MoreAn endless pilgrimage around the U.K. involving an object rather than a person has attracted considerable attention in every place it visits. Known as the Coat of Hopes, it has traveled over 1,500 miles. Along the way, the loose blanket style robe has been covered with ever increasing numbers of colorful patches bearing the hopes and dreams of those who encounter it.
Read More(REVIEW) The book boldly gives a brave, honest and forceful account of the realities of the effect of colonialism on Anglicanism past and present, Percy critically examines how the Anglican Church, which served as both a spiritual arm and a moral justification for British imperial expansion, is now struggling with the enduring legacy of complicity in slavery and colonialism.
Read MoreUnder the direction of Trevor Nunn, “The Score” serves up a fascinating dynamic between the king, who harbors his own musical ambitions, and Bach. Over time, despite their contrasting personalities and roles, a mutual respect does develop — despite their religious differences, lifestyles, ambitions and motivations — between the men, culminating in Bach composing a musical offering inspired by Frederick.
Read MoreConditions in Afghanistan and India continued to deteriorate and remained poor in Nigeria and Vietnam, USCIRF commissioners said March 25 in its 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom, calling out countries where Christian minorities face murder, torture and other ills either sanctioned by the government or with little governmental intervention.
Read MoreIn many countries around the world, a fifth or more of adults have left the religious group in which they were raised. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced large losses from this “religious switching,” while rising numbers of adults have opted to have no affiliation, according to Pew Research Center surveys of nearly 80,000 people across 36 countries.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In recent weeks, as peace discussions proceeded among victimized Ukraine, its imperialistic neighbor Russia, pro-Ukraine Europeans and America’s Donald Trump administration, there’s been some vigorous religious debate about this muddled situation.
Read MoreWalk through the doors of St. Peter’s Church in the English town of Shipley, in West Yorkshire, and this Anglican house of worship can sometimes result in a very unexpected sight. Forget rows of pews leading down to a main altar. Instead, you’ll find a WWE-style ring featuring wrestlers acting out Bible stories to the delight of those watching.
Read MoreFindings for each study were drawn from surveys of more than 2,000 Christians respectively in the U.K. and the U.S., using statistical modeling to analyze data across all ages, ethnicities, genders, income levels and educational backgrounds, and including marital status.
Read More(OPINION) “Poor wordy little Protestants” — as someone once said — have severed this connection between the church and its visual soul food. Bereft of beauty, Protestant churches have left us to the narcotizing effect of TV and social media, and a daily diet of pap, propaganda and rage. Could new generations and populations be inspired again to aspire to the heights to which those early artists aspired? If so, we'll surely need to get out more.
Read More(ANALYSIS) To many, George Berkeley is little more than a bishop — a distant historical figure whose name happens to adorn the University of California at Berkeley. A polymath of epic proportions, he sought to dissect reality itself. While Elon Musk pursues a future of technological transcendence, Berkeley strived for clarity in the present, reducing reality to its bare bones.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The recent trends of religious conversion have not rattled Kosovo’s politicians. Kosovo has been long seeking membership into the European Union, selling itself to the world as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place. These conversions are building a political premise for them to prove that Kosovo is closer to Europe by trying to establish Catholicism as central to their identity given Europe’s strained relationship with Islam.
Read MoreTorturing and killing pastors and priests, prosecuting residents for exercising religious freedom, banning worship and entire religious communities, closing churches, prosecuting missionaries and banning Scripture as extremist literature are among the most egregious atrocities Forum 18 cited in its March religious freedom survey of Ukraine.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pilgrims would journey across continents to light candles beneath their frescoed domes, whisper prayers into the cool stone walls, and gaze upon centuries-old icons bathed in flickering candlelight. These sites are much more than buildings. They are testaments to Greece’s spiritual, cultural and historical identity. Yet today, that serenity is under attack.
Read More(REVIEW) Researcher and author Diana Darke argues that the connections between Islamic and Christian cultures during the medieval period were stronger than commonly believed. This cross-fertilization of cultures had an impact on society, religion and culture. Her extensive research, covering hundreds of buildings across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East led her to propose replacing the term “Romanesque” with “Islamesque.”
Read MoreAt the start of the war, nearly 17 million Ukrainians fled the country, but fewer than 7 million remain abroad, Bloomberg reported. Among those who returned is Tatyana Pavlenko. She and her husband, Oleg, once worshiped with a Church of Christ in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, just a few miles from the Russian border.
Read MoreHelping the homeless through music has inspired the dean of Sheffield Cathedral to undertake a 620-mile walk along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. Joining her on this journey, which started on March 1, are Tom Daggett, the cathedral's director of music, and Emily Cooper, the music and liturgy administrator and a member of the cathedral’s choir.
Read More(OPINION) The unprecedented success of the radical-right AfD has left many questioning whether we are witnessing Germany take a dangerous turn once again. In the Feb. 23 Bundestag election, the AfD achieved its best result to date, becoming the second strongest party in the Bundestag. The election campaign was largely dominated by key AfD topics such as migration policy and the deportation debate.
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