“(pray)” is a choreopoem that tells a story through the lens of a feminine experience in a Black Baptist Church. It blends the past with the present, the divine with the earthly and the fear of the unknown with the delight of faith.
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During a recent small-ship cruise up Alaska’s Inland Passage from Sitka to Juneau, my wife and I saw many totem poles, both old and fairly new. Since we were voyaging through Tlingit territory, we paid special attention to those witnessing to Tlingit culture. Fortunately, we had a Tlingit as our guide.
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“Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE–400 CE,” an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, explores the influences and growth of early Buddhism through artifacts found largely in southern India. Highlights of the exhibit include relics taken from the Buddha’s remains.
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In Poland, a country in which 84% percent of the population identifies as Catholic, according to the country’s National Statistical Office, “offending religious feelings” by “publicly outraging an object of religious worship or a place dedicated to the public celebration of religious rites” is a criminal offense under Article 196 of the Polish Penal Code.
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The Faith Museum will explore how religion has shaped lives and communities across Britain throughout history. Religion Unplugged contributor Dr. Jenny Taylor meets the wealthy financier who is turning a semi-derelict English mining town into an international showcase of art and faith. Part of the outcome of all this investment is the opening of the museum on Oct. 6.
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(OPINION) In a divided America, music is just another means of dividing based on political affiliation and race. While country music has the image of being “All-American,” hip-hop often sheds light on the social injustices to minority people. When listening to music, it can seem as if there is no unity among people from different backgrounds. However, Gangstagrass is fighting back against that narrative by bringing people from two different genres together.
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When people think of the most influential rappers of all time, Kendrick Lamar is definitely on the list. The hip-hop artist made history in 2018 by winning a Pulitzer Prize in songwriting for his album “DAMN.” His lyrical genius and socially conscious rap resonate with millions. To many, he is considered the greatest rapper of all time. This is why we were curious when an anonymous package labeled “Kendrick Lamar's diss track” showed up in our mailbox.
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Oliver Anthony counted about 20 listeners when he performed earlier this summer at a produce market in coastal North Carolina. That was before Aug. 8, when YouTube channel radio posted his “Rich Men North Of Richmond” video. More than 35 million views later, as of this week, the unknown country singer from Farmville, Virginia, has become a culture-wars lightning rod.
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(REVIEW) The encore performance at Christ Cathedral of “Fiat Lux” was billed as “Pacific Symphony & Pacific Chorale in concert with Paul Jacobs,” and the opening pieces were programmed to additionally celebrate the refurbishment of the cathedral’s Hazel Wright Organ, the fifth-largest pipe organ in the world.
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If you live in or near Orange County, California — or can be there June 15, 16, 17 or 20 — you might want to attend one of the premiere performances of “Fiat Lux” (Latin for “Let there be light”) by Sir James MacMillan, a work for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, organ and orchestra based on a five-part libretto by poet Dana Gioia.
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(REVIEW) Jelly Roll, a musician with an unusual name, featured in the documentary “Save Me” shows a redemption journey still in progress. The gritty country singer rose to fame with his breakout song “Save Me.” The documentary gives fans a look into a troubled person that has chosen to walk a path of grace through music.
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Tourists and pilgrims despairing about finding a genuine souvenir of their visit to the Holy Land that wasn’t mass-manufactured in China, India, Turkey or Egypt might wish to consider visiting the Bethlehem Icon Centre — perhaps the only school in the Middle East that teaches the ancient Christian tradition of iconography.
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(ANALYSIS) Besides being close in age, Gioia (born 1950) and La Rocca (born 1951) are both half Italian on their fathers’ side, and both are from working class families. Gioia’s ethnic heritage on his mother’s side is Mexican. La Rocca’s ethnic heritage on his mother’s side is Ukrainian. Both poet and composer are roughly of the same generation as Archbishop Cordileone, who was born in 1956.
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(ANALYSIS) There is an unstudied wisdom in the defiant, dirty beats of hip-hop, and even religious dimensions – a focus of my research today, which explores the prophetic and even mystical elements in the genre. Its lyrics can be sweet like honey, as the biblical prophet Ezekiel describes the scroll of the Lord. Yet they can also be bitter, like the herbs of Passover – a remembrance of pains and indignities.
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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.
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(REVIEW) More books have been written about St. Francis of Assisi than virtually any other historical figure after Jesus Christ. In the Italian town of his birth, he is even the subject of an entire bookstore. As this enthralling exhibition at The National Gallery demonstrates, the revered saint also captured the imaginations of artists who have for generations told his remarkable story without the need for words.
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It turns out New Orleans is more than Bourbon Street, burlesque and beads. The New Orleans Museum of Art, located five miles from the city’s downtown, isn’t afraid to pay homage to the state’s French colonial roots that have connections to Catholicism.
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Washington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible is fascinating for Christians of all denominations and even for people who identify with another faith tradition. The museum — in addition to highlighting Hebrew texts and the time Jesus lived — also integrates how the Bible and Christianity have influenced American culture and society since the early 1600s to the present.
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(OPINION) In the latest wrinkle in what researchers have long called the "worship wars," some church leaders are asking a blunt question about the decision to trade traditional hymnals for contemporary Christian music. That question: Has the typical Sunday service become a semiprofessional concert instead of a communal worship experience for all believers?
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The windows keep drawing your eyes to study the images. The telling, minute details — lines in a beard, expressions on faces — are detailed in ways that make other stained glass windows seem dull. The color palate is more brilliant - like an LED screen from the 2000s rather than the picture tube technology from the 1980s. Instead of pastel colors found in other stained glass works, these hold bold, rich jewel tones.
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