Posts in Opinion
As Evangelical Christians, We Are Bringing Reproach To The Name Of Jesus

(OPINION) In devastating fashion, the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has been accused of a massive cover-up of sexual sins. As evangelical followers of Jesus, because of our failings and scandals and carnality, the name of the Lord is being mocked and ridiculed. This is heartbreaking on so many levels.

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‘An Apocalypse’: Probe Into Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Turns Up ‘Bombshell’ Findings

A special Monday edition of Weekend Plug-in highlights Sunday’s big news: the release of a 288-page investigative report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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When Will Russia’s War On Ukraine End? Religion And Security Strategies

(OPINION) Russia’s security strategy gives prominent weight to concerns about traditional religious values. Diplomatic negotiations between Russia and the West to end the war in Ukraine will likely center on some of these concerns for many years to come.

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Inside The Rise Of Kansas Hoops Powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy

(REVIEW) You may have never heard of the school, but that’s what makes their story an even better one. Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas has the numbers and alums to prove it is a powerhouse. Now there’s a new documentary that takes viewers into what makes this school so special.

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Lessons From The Hall Of Men On The Kansas Plains

Kansas’ Hall of Men has meetings offering beer, cigars, an open bar, some kind of “guy food” and lots of chatter around a giant wooden table. But then there are the evening prayers, icons, Bible readings and lectures about authors whose portraits hang on the walls — C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, W.H. Auden, Dorothy Sayers, Fyodor Dostoevsky, J.R.R. Tolkien and many others.

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‘Reading The Church Fathers’ Tells The Story Of How The Past Shaped The Church We Know Today

(REVIEW) Emerging from a small sect within Judaism, early Christianity absorbed much of the religious, cultural and philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world at the time. A new book looks at the centuries that followed the crucifixion of Jesus, which were ones of intense persecution. Christianity would eventually flourish and become the state religion of the Roman Empire.

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United Nations On A Human Rights Visit To Xinjiang, China

(OPINION) In May 2022, United Nations officials — including Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — are to visit Xinjiang, China, to investigate the allegations of serious human rights violations. This is the first time in over a decade that China is to host the U.N. human rights chief.

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Christian Pro-Life Ministries Have Been Caring For Women And Babies For Generations

(OPINION) The idea that pro-lifers don’t care for babies after they are born has been a convenient slander hurled against pro-life Christians. But more than 2,500 pro-life pregnancy resource centers are committed to helping women make life-giving choices, and they often support these women for years after their babies are born.

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This Political Reporter Says Journalism Has Made Him A Better Christian — He's Not Alone

Is it hard to be a Christian and a journalist? Is it possible to be a Christian and a journalist? This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights recent first-person pieces that explore these questions. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith?

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Country Music Star Naomi Judd Faced Demons And Angels

(OPINION) Naomi Judd had battled through waves of anxiety attacks to address some dark realities — such as rape, crisis pregnancy and her battle with hepatitis C that retired the Judds. What she hadn’t discussed was the sexual abuse in her childhood that led to treatment-resistant depression.

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Abortion Bombshell: Panel Explores Religious Response To Roe v. Wade's Likely Strikedown

Weekend Plug-in features a reporter roundtable on this week’s bombshell news: the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would reverse Roe v. Wade. Plus, as always, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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The Supreme Court Opinion Leak That Could Give Way To A River Of Fear — Or Compassion In Difference

(ANALYSIS) On Tuesday, a preliminary draft Supreme Court opinion was leaked to Politico, revealing that the court — as of February — intended to overturn Roe v. Wade. What does the leak mean for the court and America, and how have faith voices responded?

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Is Roe v. Wade About To Be Overturned? And If So, What Are The Implications?

(OPINION) According to an exclusive story on Politico, the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade when ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson in June. But what happens if Roe is overturned? Then we will walk straight into an impassioned, even frenzied, potentially violent ideological civil war, one that could quickly divide America into pro-life states vs. pro-abortion states.

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Liberal Religion's Sharp Decline Closes Reform Jewish Seminary. How About Some Elite News Ink?

(OPINION) Organized American Judaism — not unlike other American faith traditions — is in the midst of a shakeup. The latest evidence of this was the recent announcement that Reform Judaism’s first rabbinic seminary, in Cincinnati, will soon cease ordinations at the end of the 2026 academic year.

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Can A High School Coach Pray At 50-Yard Line? 5 Key Takeaways From High Court Arguments

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the arguments in the case of a high school football coach who wants to pray at the 50-yard line after his team’s games. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Could Hispanic Americans, Protestants Especially, Shape The ’22 And ’24 Elections?

(OPINION) The 2020 election was a landmark for the Hispanic American community with an estimated 16.6 million voters, a record proportion of the electorate. But columnists on the left and right have noted that President Joe Biden and his party have lost some of the more culturally conservative Latinos that were among former President Barack Obama’s coalition.

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USCIRF: America’s Watchdog On International Religious Freedom Presents Its 2022 Report

(OPINION) The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom launched its annual report describing events in 2021 — a detailed document focusing on more than two dozen countries that are engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations. Their report also offers suggestions and recommendations, while providing information regarding 15 specific prisoners of conscience for whom USCIRF commissioners have personally advocated.

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