His Instagram account proclaims “GOD FIRST!” and U.S. Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong tries to be faithful to that description whether he’s winning gold medals or not in Paris this summer. “That’s the first thing I want people to see and know about me,” he said. “As we grow, we have to make sure we have our priorities in line. I keep God as a priority. I can’t really live without Him. I can live without swimming or being an Olympian or any of that stuff.”
Read More(REVIEW) In Birmingham, the painting is spotlit and seems to glow amid the gloom. Here, it forms the centerpiece of "Mirror Martyr Mirror Moon,” an immersive exhibition by the Dublin-based contemporary artist Jesse Jones, which responds directly to Artemisia’s work with film, sculpture and installation. Before reaching Artemisia’s painting, you are confronted with "Head of Prudence" on loan from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Read MoreA dance troupe performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics drew the ire of Christians around the world after they appeared to mock Jesus and the Last Supper. The festivities drew controversy when a group of performers — including drag queens — struck poses behind what looked like a long table.
Read MoreWith the Olympic Games opening in Paris later this week, Southern Baptists have already been working in and around the city, capitalizing on the event as a bridge to spread the Gospel.
Read MoreAt the Summer Games, lots of skin is on display and many athletes use it as a testament to faith. There’s Anthony Davis — usually playing for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers — with a cross and praying hands across his forearm. Fellow basketball pro Jayson Tatum, of the Boston Celtics, has a collection of religious tattoos, including “God’s will” and “Proverbs 3:5-6” across his back.
Read MoreOlympic wrestler Aaron Brooks holds nothing back. You don’t have to encounter Brooks long to know the top priority in his life. His Instagram posts regularly reference Scripture verses. In his media interviews, he frequently and repeatedly talks about his commitment to Christ, sometimes while wearing a headband with the phrase “100% Jesus.”
Read MoreThe Holy See’s secretary of state visited the Ukrainian city of Odessa and said that the pope is following the situation there “with so much attention, with so much worry and so much pain.”
Read More(REVIEW) Is subjugation and oppression central to the life of a Muslim woman? What roles do Islamophobia and white supremacy have in this misogyny? And where do the biggest threats to Muslim women’s freedom and safety really come from? These are some of the many pertinent questions that Samia Rahman answers in her new book, “Muslim Women and Misogyny: Myths and Misunderstandings.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) With politicians from both Labour and Conservative parties visiting Hindu temples and endorsing Hindu manifesto prepared by divisive Hindutva forces, the question is, has the Hindutva identity now intensified in the U.K.? And the bigger question is, will these elected members of Parliament who endorsed the document now allow sectarianism to flourish?
Read More(EXPLAINER) The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates on Friday the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (known as Petrovdan in Serbian) in honor of their martyrdom in Rome. The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is an important religious holiday for Orthodox Serbs. It marks the end of the Apostles’ Fast, which begins a week after Pentecost.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the sporting world and fans await the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games, eight Catholic dioceses in Greater Paris have already ignited their own Olympic flame by organizing the “Holy Games.” The project is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Paris and the French Bishops Conference.
Read MoreReligious leaders from across the world meet in Hiroshima, Japan, to sign the “Rome Call for AI Ethics” — emphasizing the vital importance of guiding the development of artificial intelligence with ethical principles that promote peace.
Read MoreThe ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is having reverberations across the globe. This was the case during last week’s elections in the United Kingdom. While the headlines heralded the Labour‘s landslide victory, some of the party’s losses resulted in gains for independent candidates who made Gaza a major campaign issue.
Read More(OPINION) In the early days of the war, we were united in purpose. I didn’t know what to expect now. My Ukrainian brothers and sisters must be exhausted, I thought. And they have to know that support has wavered in the U.S. — that some politicians have called for my country to drop its financial support for Ukraine. Would I find tired, resentful faces this time?
Read MoreThe Vatican on Friday excommunicated the outspoken Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, its former ambassador to Washington, finding him guilty of promoting schism after repeatedly questioning Pope Francis’ authority. The Italian prelate had in recent years become one of Francis’ harshest critics.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When members of the Society of Jesus gather at Borgo Santo Spirito, their headquarters near the Vatican, they worship surrounded by the relics of Jesuit saints and works of sacred art. This includes the work of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, who the Jesuits expelled last year after investigations into allegations he sexually and emotionally abused up to 30 women in religious orders. The Vatican had excommunicated the priest in 2020, but quickly withdrew that judgment.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Ireland is sometimes dubbed the “land of saints and scholars.” A Google search reveals a fair number of Irish scholars, but there really haven't been that many Irish saints, at least not since the advent of papal canonization. In fact, when St. Oliver Plunkett — the final known Catholic martyr to die under English persecution — was canonized in 1975, he became the first new Irish saint since 1225. That's a gap of three-fourths of a millennium.
Read MoreKosovo is a region in the heart of Europe that offers visitors an amazing journey through nature, history and religion. Despite its rich history and beautiful views, tourists had avoided Kosovo for years because of the ethnic conflict between Albanians and Serbs.
Read MoreThe Ukraine Baptist Union grew from 900 churches to more than 2,000 within a decade or so, Bandura told Baptist Press, and amid the current war comprises 2,300 congregations. This time around, members hope individual Southern Baptist congregations will partner with Ukraine Baptist churches to help congregations rebuild after the war.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On June 13, 2024, Global Rights Compliance, an international nongovernmental organization, published evidence of Russian and pro-Russian forces using starvation as a method of warfare against Ukrainian civilians during their 85-day siege of Mariupol between February and May 2022.
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