Posts tagged Secondary Feature
Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision Truncates Religion

This decision, Catholic Charities v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, might at first glance seem to be yet another boring administrative matter. That’s far from being the case. In fact, the outcome raises the bar for all religions to show that their charity arms deserve such exemptions in the state.

Read More
Phaneroo Ministries Breaks Guinness World Record for Longest Applause

Last month, hundreds of Phaneroo Ministries International churchgoers clapped in unison for more than three hours, attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest applause by “clapping for Jesus.” It will be a few months before the record-keeping organization makes its determination.

Read More
End of an Era? The King’s College Halts Courses, Lays Off Faculty

The King’s College in New York City is no longer offering courses in the upcoming fall semester, laid off its entire faculty and is nearing closure according to an email from its board of trustees and updates from its accreditor.

Read More
The Zimbabwean Pastor Who Demystified The ‘Disease Of Shame’

“I have run the race to strengthen others … that even in death from HIV, there is still God in heaven,” Rev. Kapachawo. 49, told ReligionUnplugged.com in an interview as he reflected on his life. “Because He is so faithful, here I am today, still believing and spreading the gospel of life and hope.”

Read More
Florida Pastor And Son Found Guilty for Participating in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

A federal jury has found a Florida pastor, his son, and another church member guilty of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The jury found Pastor James “Jim” Varnell Cusick Jr., 72, of Global Outreach Ministries Church in Melbourne; his son Casey Cusick, 35; and David John Lesperance, 69, a repairman who was a member of their church, guilty of multiple charges.

Read More
Racial Healing Bus Tour Across America Touts Peace, Unity

In the Racial Healing of America Revival and Bus Tour, Christians sought reconciliation in five cities across the nation chosen for their significance in civil rights history — from Dallas to Washington. At its third stop in Birmingham, Alabama, speakers discussed peace and the blessings of fellowship and togetherness.

Read More
Rastafarians Gathering For The 131st Birthday Of Emperor Haile Selassie Are Still Grappling With His Death

(ANALYSIS) Many Christians believe that Jesus Christ was both human and divine, and will return to the Earth to reign over a righteous kingdom of his chosen people. Similarly, Rastafarians are of the view that Emperor Selassie is God, or Jah, who manifested in human form, and that they are God’s chosen people. They borrow generously from the King James Bible, braiding their theology around Black and African identity and culture.

Read More
Troubling ‘Rescues’ of West African Children by International Justice Mission

A report by the Africa Eye section of the BBC claims to have discovered two documented cases where children were “traumatically and unjustly removed” from their homes and their relatives were wrongly prosecuted as child traffickers.

Read More
Supreme Court Declines Christian College’s Challenge To Biden Transgender Policy

The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Missouri Christian college seeking to halt a Biden administration policy the college believes may force it to allow biological males in women’s dormitories.

Read More
Elevation Megachurch Withdraws From The Southern Baptist Convention

North Carolina megachurch Elevation — known for its popular music and charismatic pastor — is withdrawing its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention effective immediately, according to a letter sent to the SBC’s Executive Committee and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Read More
Judge’s Death Sparks National Debate On Burial Rights In Uganda

The death of a supreme court judge in Uganda has sparked a hot public debate on the burial rights of the dead and surviving spouses in church marriages. The debate started after the death of Justice Stella Arach-Amoko, who succumbed to cancer at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala on June 17.

Read More
Southern Baptists Put On A Show, But Emerge Remarkably Unified

(ANALYSIS) It’s worth pausing to note a couple of “behind the headlines” moments from the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. If you think there is deep division in the Southern Baptist Convention, you have to ignore a lot of hard data that suggest a strong consensus — on abuse reform, on women pastors, and on cleaning up decades of financial profligacy.

Read More
Templeton Charity Foundation Expands Work On Forgiveness And Mental Health

While the concept of what forgiveness entails precisely seems to vary by region and people group, a part of the foundation’s research suggests that it can be broadly categorized as “a process in which positive other-oriented affective responses (e.g., compassion or love) supplant the negative affective responses that characterize unforgiveness (e.g., vengeful or avoidant motives, anger and fear) and are associated with stress.”

Read More
Pastor Rick Warren Tackles Southern Baptist Church’s Mass Decline in New Video Series

Warren’s video series, named “SBC at the Crossroads,” aims to state the problems plaguing the Baptist denomination and examine a biblical path to revive and revitalize the hearts of Baptist Church congregants, and thereby the entire denomination. 

Read More
The Unique Celebration Of Nyepi In Bali: Total Silence And Rituals For Balance

(PHOTO STORY) On Nyepi, which is the most special day of the year in the Balinese Saka Calendar, the island of Bali turns off all lights and sounds, stops all traffic, renounces all worldly activities, and meditates while silence and serenity reign over the entire island.

Read More
Inside The Treasure Of San Gennaro: Unveiling The Secrets Of Naples’ Religious Relics

One of the most majestic displays of religious art a visitor can find in Naples — if not anywhere in the Catholic world — is known as the “Treasure of San Gennaro.” Located in Naples’ historic city center (which is also famous for artisans and nativity scenes), the area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read More
South Africa And The Legacy Of Jackrollers

The gangsterism style of rape dwindled when South Africa gained its freedom on April 27, 1994. Yet, rape is coming to a rise in a different dimension. Many homes are affected by fathers and brothers who are victimizing and raping their own wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. What is now appalling is the reported recurring incidents of rapes that women and children suffer at the hands of some of the clergy. 

Read More
Turkey’s Christian Sites: Visiting 7 Churches From The Book Of Revelation

(TRAVEL) In the beginning of Revelation, John issues letters of encouragement, admonition and warning that he says Jesus instructed him to write to seven church communities in the Roman province of Asia Minor, which is now Turkey. The churches were: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.Remnants of these cities from the New Testament can still be found on Turkey’s Western coast, hundreds of miles across the country from where the devastating earthquake occurred in February.

Read More
Should Israel Outlaw The Antiquities Trade?

JERUSALEM — Israel’s central — and arguably shameful — role in the global antiquities business was the subject of a Zoom lecture on May 2 sponsored by the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and the Palestine Exploration Fund headquartered in London.

Read More
Did Siri Go to Sunday School? An Interview with Apple’s AI

Artificial Intelligence programs such as ChatGPT continue to become more popular and accessible. With many questioning the future of AI and its implications, we asked Apple’s Siri a series of questions about different religious faiths.

Read More