Posts in Culture
American Indian Artist Oscar Howe Wrestled With Art, Faith, Modernism And Native Identity

A special retrospective “Dakota Modern” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City explores the significant of Dakota artist Oscar Howe in American art and religion.

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Qatar’s Largest Mosque Highlights Beauty Of Islamic Art And Architecture

When fans aren’t packing stadiums to watch soccer matches, another thing that will get a lot of attention will be Qatar’s Islamic art and culture. As is the case with any country that plays World Cup host, visitors will get a real chance to see things in person they may not otherwise ever see anywhere else. Among those things will be the Imam Abdul Wahhab Mosque in the capital city, Doha.

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A Visit To The Latter-day Saints ‘Wizard of Oz’ Temple in Washington, DC

(ANALYSIS) One of the most sacred places in the Latter-day Saints temple in Washington is the Celestial Room on the sixth floor, where people come, sit quietly and pray. The Mormon leaders say this is a place to “feel close to and commune with God.” There are no ceremonies in this space.

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Will More Americans Turn Agnostic On The Gospel Of Disney?

(OPINION) Will more Americans — from the right and the left — untangle their bizarre fantasy with a misappropriating, rather cowardly, cult-like entertainment industrial complex? Has Disney going woke finally caused Americans to wake up from their slumber like Rip van Winkle? Mickey Mouse can’t have his cake and eat it too anymore.

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How David Brooks, Peter Wehner And Others Fail To Address Evangelical Divisions

(OPINION) Some recent careful articles have tried to analyze and illuminate the divisions of American evangelicals, but they are often one-sided, which means that they may simply exacerbate the very tensions they lament.

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The Truth of Brown v. Board: Setting the Record Straight During Black History Month

Cheryl Brown Henderson, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Oliver Brown, shares behind-the-scenes details about her family’s important connection to the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Henderson spoke at Oklahoma Christian University’s annual History Speaks event.

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In Kenya, Religious Millennials Are Changing Standards Of Modesty

In the 1980s and ‘90s, modest religious dressing in Kenya meant a very restricted wardrobe — one solid color of fabric stitched and sold in select shops run by members of the church. Today, trend-conscious religious millennials are changing the dress code, not necessarily by dressing immodestly but by adding twists of artsy, modern style.

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Pastors Question Whether To Unplug From Online Services When The Pandemic Ends

Many pastors around the U.S. and the world are wondering how and when church life can transition back into real-life gatherings, with church members weaned off the safety and convenience of online church. ReligionUnplugged.com spoke to a dozen pastors from Africa to America to hear about the challenges of digital church post pandemic.

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A Photo Exhibit By New York Catholics Honors Heroes Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

(ANALYSIS) The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture’s new series called “Portraits of Grace: Honoring Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic” offers a space for New Yorkers and Christians to reflect on the pandemic with an eye toward the hopeful.

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Should the Southern Baptist Convention Change Its Name?

(OPINION) In the words of Bruce Riley Ashford, the provost of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the word Southern will, “forever be associated with pro-slavery views.” This has led to discussion of changing the name, but to what?

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Maverick City Music is Part of a Gospel Music Comeback

(REVIEW) Christian artists seldom top secular charts or appear on Times Square billboards. The contemporary Gospel band Maverick City Music has done both, resonating with a cultural moment outside the pews. Their newest album, “Tribl I,” captures the experience of singing in a crowded auditorium and brings it to anyone with headphones.

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This Humble Amish Novelist Has Quietly Sold More Than 350,000 Books And Just Dropped Another Title

Linda Byler, 63, is an Old Order Amish wordsmith who began writing out of financial desperation. With 39 published novels, she has captivated Amish and non-Amish audiences (called English)—readers from around the nation who sometimes drop by her farm just to meet the writer who captures the simple life of the Amish sect, more than 300,000 strong in the United States alone.

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'Catholic questions' ahead of the Biden-Trump presidential debate

(OPINION) The election season goes into hyperdrive with the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden that will take place Tuesday in Cleveland.

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Rittenhouse’s Legal Fund Features Donors Invoking Biblical Self-Defense

Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen gunman who shot and killed Black Lives Matter protesters in Wisconsin, awaits a hearing set for Friday, Sept. 25. Some donors to his legal fund, hosted by the Christian platform GiveSendGo, invoke biblical arguments for self-defense to defend Rittenhouse, though there is scant evidence Rittenhouse is himself religious.

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India will soon surpass China in number of world’s tallest religious statues

India’s recent rise in Hindu nationalism can be seen playing out in multi-million-dollar projects funded by both government and private donations to build some of the world’s tallest statues of Hindu heroes, including not just an independence leader and Hindu gods but also a Hindu warrior king who defeated Muslim forces.

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Biden's faith becomes a campaign issue as anti-Catholic attacks rise

(OPINION) During this time of cultural reckoning, some have tried to lump Catholic saints like St. Damien into the same category as treasonous Confederate generals. That has forced Republicans to come out as defenders of traditional Christian values, while Democrats get dangerously closer to socialism.

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After Rep. John Lewis, We Are Still In Search Of That “Beloved Community”

(OPINION) "John Lewis practiced the politics not of what we call bipartisan, John Lewis practiced the politics of We the People. The politics of the preamble of the constitution of the United States, ” Lawson said during his 21-minute message at the funeral where he added that while many books have been written about the Civil Rights period, most people get it ”wrong,” when it comes to telling the story of John Lewis.

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Celebrating America: Why we honor Columbus and ignore Vespucci

(OPINION) As Italians gained in power, Columbus Day officially became a U.S. federal holiday starting in 1968. Amerigo Vespucci, however, is barely mentioned in American classrooms.

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