(ANALYSIS) Who voted how in 2024? The two most important surveys on U.S. election patterns are now available and among the findings is this bulletin: Along with its various current woes, in the long term the Democratic Party faces weakening support from many religious groups that is nearing a political emergency. No effective game plan for a turnaround is in sight.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Bono has never been backwards in coming forward, especially when it comes to God. He doesn’t mumble about “spiritual energy” or dodge the name of Jesus. He says it straight: “The Son of God.” He talks about Christ carrying his shame, not because it sounds poetic, but because he believes it. His faith isn’t necessarily neat or polished, but it's real.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel in June 2025 may not have escalated into a full-scale regional war, but it marks a potentially critical turning point in Iran’s internal political landscape. Though the Islamic Republic has entered into direct conflict with a foreign adversary before, it has never done so while so militarily weakened, internally fractured and increasingly alienated from its own population.
Read MoreThe director’s most recent film, “The Phoenician Scheme.” very explicitly affirms faith. This is all the more surprising because his previous film was one of the most moving anti-faith films of the past 20 years. What explains this? Why did Anderson change his portrayal of faith so radically between his last film and his latest one?
Read MoreHouston’s Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, one of the largest Greek Orthodox communities in the nation, expects to cover each of its walls with colorful Byzantine iconography by the year 2027, hoping to continue expanding as membership grows. Formed in 1917, the Annunciation community was the city’s first organized Greek Orthodox Church.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A new study has found nearly 950 hate-related incidents in India during the first year of the main ruling party’s third term. Religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, were the main targets of violence and hate speech. This rise in unchecked and largely unpunished hostility should concern all citizens.
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled parents of public-school children in Montgomery County, Md., have a right to opt their kids out of classroom reading times with books the school board labels as “LGBTQ inclusive.” These books were introduced as part of a new curriculum in 2022 for pre-K through eighth-grade students. They promote storylines that teach gender is a construct rather than a biological fact.
Read MoreIt was just another bombing in a complicated corner of the Middle East, but this one was important — the Associated Press noted — because it had major political implications. In this week’s episode, we dig into what it all means.
Read MoreIf Jim Henson and Fred Rogers could connect with kids through puppets, why couldn’t Shlomit Tripp? “It’s really important that these kids understand that being Jewish is also fun,” Tripp said. “It’s not only the Shoah or this dry religion sitting in a synagogue and being bored.” Regardless of background, all appeared enthralled before Tripp’s colorful creations and exaggerated voices.
Read MoreThe United States Supreme Court ruled Thursday that South Carolina can continue its effort to defund Planned Parenthood by barring abortion clinics in the state from participating in Medicaid programs. The case involved South Carolina officials asking the justices whether a Medicaid beneficiary and Planned Parenthood have the right to sue on the matter.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Taiwan’s international rating on freedom of religion is undisputedly very high. The 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, published by the U.S. Department of State, also noted Taiwan’s constitutional protection of the freedom of religion as well as the diversity of religious beliefs, but questions are asked about how freely can one practice their religion.
Read MoreJames Weldon Johnson’s poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” set to music by his brother John Rosamond, was first presented as a hymn, then adopted as a song and soon cherished as an anthem. In its 125th anniversary year, the work — published in numerous hymnals — is seen as a healing balm with timely biblical and theological elements for a deeply divided United States.
Read MoreSeason Two of the hit TV docuseries “Shiny Happy People” will focus on now-defunct Dallas-based youth ministry Teen Mania and founder Ron Luce, Amazon Prime Video announced Wednesday. Premiering July 23, the three-episode season will expose the early-2000s evangelical teen pop culture phenomenon.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Billboard commentator Xander Zellner recently noted: “Say your prayers: Christian music is making a serious comeback. On the Billboard Hot 100, dated May 10, two Christian songs are making waves: Brandon Lake's 'Hard Fought Hallelujah' ranks at No. 44 in its 11th week on the chart (after reaching No. 40) and Forrest Frank's 'Your Way's Better' jumps from No. 72 to No. 62 in its second week.”
Read MoreMost pastors say their churches have policies in place to address significant misbehavior by church members, but few have actually used those policies recently. According to a Lifeway Research study of more than 1,000 U.S. Protestant pastors, only 1 one in six say their church has formally disciplined anyone in the past year.
Read MoreThe use of artificial intelligence to “reanimate” the dead for a variety of purposes is quickly gaining traction. Over the past few years, we’ve been studying the moral implications of AI at the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and we find these AI reanimations to be morally problematic.
Read MoreZohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist who defied the establishment to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, extended an olive branch to the city’s sizable Jewish community in a passionate victory speech Tuesday night.
Read MoreMany Ugandans are still waiting for that transformative change to materialize across key sectors. Some had hoped it would come through economic empowerment or expanded human rights. While the broader national transformation remains elusive, one sector — Uganda’s Anglican Church — has seen notable progress, particularly in advancing women’s leadership.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s affiliation with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches drew attention again with a Pentagon prayer led by Hegseth and his pastor, Brooks Potteiger, in which they praised President Donald Trump, who they said was divinely appointed.
Read MoreThe United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a group of pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey. The case began in November 2023, when New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin demanded that First Choice turn over sensitive documents.
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