(ANALYSIS) Syria’s sudden shift in leadership has introduced the Islamist world’s rising star: Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, the leader of HTS. Despite Jawlani’s soft-spoken promises of peace and prosperity, his history is both alarming and ominous.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Over the past quarter century of so, I have spent a large chunk of my time trying to get Christian liberal arts colleges to ponder this question: Why do they have drama departments and not programs to make short films and pilots for television?
Read MoreThe instant collapse of Assad’s rule will reshape the geopolitics of the Mideast for years to come. Within Syria itself, the challenge is how to replace the bloodthirsty past and current revolutionary turbulence with effective government capable of restoring and unifying a nation that currently copes with regional occupations by Turkey, Israel and others.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Among folks who earned no more than a high school diploma, the share who never attend church is about 58%, while those who attend once a month is much lower at 22%. To me, there’s a clear line of demarcation in the graph between those who attended college but didn’t earn a degree and those who obtained an associates degree.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On Dec. 31, while many people are preparing for their New Years Eve parties, some Roman Catholic Christians will also mark the feast day for St. Silvester. Silvester’s era was one of both turmoil and transition for Christians living in the Roman Empire, as some Christian communities emerged from persecution into a powerful alliance with the Romans. His story is intertwined with this alliance, which would change the trajectory of the movement initiated by Jesus three centuries earlier.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Almost two decades ago, the reigning editor of The New York Times admitted, during a speech to the National College Media Association, that the world’s most influential journalism cathedral had changed one of its core doctrines.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Here we are, doing a top ten list of faith-based films for 2024. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since “The Passion of The Christ” helped launch the modern era of faith-based films. Since then, such movies have gone from a mostly-mocked niche genre to one that has entered the mainstream. Here’s what made the top 10 list in 2024.
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Donald Trump is returning to the White House, convinced — after a close encounter with an assassin's bullet — that he had God on his side in the election. While opinions differed on that theological question, Trump drew support from voters that frequented pews. Members of Religion News Association selected the presidential election as the year's top national religion story.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Each carol, like those who sing them, carries a unique backstory filled with history, hope and sometimes even heartbreak. They are, in many ways, a reflection of life itself. Together, they remind us that Christmas isn’t just about celebration — it’s about honoring the moments, both light and dark, that shape who we are.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Anyone who is interested in the roots of Christian history is familiar with the following, drawn from the 11th chapter of Acts. Where is Antioch today? That biblical city now known as Antakya, located on the Orontes River about 12 miles from the Syrian border. The history of the church in Antioch was at the heart of the news in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The news cycle hasn’t been kind to “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.” The film made headlines as the lowest-grossing (and worst-reviewed) entry in the Peter Jackson series. The film made $5 million on its opening weekend, finishing fifth at the box office and earning a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. But none of it really matters because the point of this movie was never this movie. Let me explain.
Read MoreAmericans who watch this 1983 family comedy — about 40 million watch the 24-hour marathon on TBS and TNT starting on Christmas Eve — know that it centers on a boy named Ralphie who is obsessed with a 200-shot Red Ryder air rifle BB gun. But another iconic image is the leg-shaped lamp, wearing a fishnet stocking, that Ralphie's Old Man received as his “major award” after winning a contest. What was that all about?
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s no way around the question this time of the year, so I will offer my take on the annual holiday controversy. “Die Hard” is not a “Christmas movie.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) A recent government report has revealed that there has been a significant rise in the number of students in madrasas — religious schools — in Bangladesh. The data revealed by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics stated that the number of students in madrasas increased to 2.75 million in 2023 from the previous 2.4 million recorded in 2019.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Technology, AI and social media have been developed for the common good, to make our lives easier, one way or another. However, they can also be abused — and this is precisely what we have seen across contemporary cases of genocide.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I was recently talking to a Christian who was a strong believer in the separation of church and state. We discussed some implications of that doctrinal position, and he described how it shaped his views on same-sex marriage. That got me wondering: Are there many people out there who favor same-sex marriage but believe that homosexuality is wrong?
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Justice Department is in a legal fight against Tennessee and, by extension, all 26 states with laws that forbid or restrict “gender-affirming” transition treatments for youths under the age of 18. Observers of the recent U.S. Supreme Court arguments in this United States v. Skrmetti case figure the Court will favor federalism, allowing states leeway for such limitations.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Changes in the film industry, and the changing demographics of family life in America, mean we’re likely to see a more movies in the future that are focused on faith. You might say the future of Christmas films is very much faith-based. One of the most fascinating things is the collapse of the Christmas movie and the rise of the faith-based genre happened around the same time.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Let’s start here: The people of Pensacola, North Carolina, are truly grateful for the waves of supplies, clothing, food and even Christmas gifts they have received from religious organizations, nonprofits, civic groups and businesses both large and small.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Christmas is a good news, bad news situation in Pensacola, a tiny community in the Cane River Valley, high in the mountains of North Carolina. The good news is that Hurricane Helene’s flooding — which washed away almost everything at the town's crossroads — was followed by waves of volunteers and relief shipments from churches, nonprofits and businesses large and small.
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