Posts in Religion
LifeWise Academy Teaching The Bible During Public School Days Grows Nationally

LifeWise Academy founder Joel Penton was on Bluetooth, driving a vibrant red and yellow school bus fashioned into a camper, heading from Ohio with his wife and five school-age children to the newest academy sites in Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia.

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⛪︎ 5 Questions As Long-Awaited Methodist General Conference Starts Next Week 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in tackles five questions related to the United Methodist Church’s long-awaited General Conference, which starts next week in Charlotte, North Carolina. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Proposed State Department Rules Could Limit Work Of Christian Groups

Christian ministries are raising concerns about a proposed addition to Department of State regulations that would limit the employment decisions of those accepting foreign assistance. The Accord Network, Samaritan’s Purse, Christian Legal Society and Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and others, filed an official comment about the proposed changes.

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Q&A With Author John Inazu On His New Book ‘Learning To Disagree’

Structured around an academic year of teaching law, the book explores monthly themes such as "Where is the Line Between Wrong and Evil?" and draws on experiences and legal case studies to discuss empathy in disagreement, trust across differences and challenging assumptions. The book is relevant for everyday community interactions during election years and beyond.

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Supreme Court Upholds Idaho Ban On Gender Transition Meds For Minors

A law criminalizing gender transition care for minors in Idaho can be applied while two anonymous teenage plaintiffs’ challenge to the law continues in court, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 15.

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As India’s Elections Draw Near, Bollywood Mobilizes To Promote Hindu Nationalism

With nearly a dozen releases timed strategically around the electoral period, Indian cinema is amplifying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party's Hindu nationalist political agenda. The slew of new films — ahead of the April 19 national elections — are helmed by major production houses that rely on storylines that overtly either promote Modi and his government’s policies or target rival politicians. 

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After A Sleepless Night, Israelis Anxiously Wonder ‘What Happens Next?’

Sunday is the start of the Israeli workweek, but schools and many government offices were closed for the day. This cosmopolitan city’s typically crowded light rail was sparse and remarkably silent, with the few passengers glued to their smartphones looking for answers nobody could seem to find. 

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New Moses Docudrama Heavy On Entertainment, But Light On Scholarship

(REVIEW) The average religious viewer will likely also find little offensively objectionable in the portrayal of the Biblical story. They take the story, with its miracles and supernatural elements, as if they all really happened. The flaws in Moses’s character are all ones that come from the Biblical accounts.

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What Might The Founding Fathers Say About Chaplains In Public Schools?

(OPINION) What did the Founding Fathers really believe about the role of religion in America? When Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison appeared, they were trying to figure out what they believed personally about God even as they debated religion’s role in a fledgling nation. These guys didn’t fit into our 21st century boxes.

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Hillel Revamps College Guide For Jewish Students In Response To Campus Turmoil

Amid what many consider an increasingly hostile climate for Jewish students on campus, Hillel has updated its college guide, including a new feature that indicates whether students at a particular school have held a vote to boycott Israel.

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Amid Rubble, Turkish Churches Work Together To Build Foundations

Since a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake last year killed more than 53,000 people and displaced some 3 million residents according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, recovery has been slow. More than a year later, the city is quiet, often only disrupted by the sound of construction equipment. 

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🇺🇸 The Complexity Of Defining and Measuring Christian Nationalism: 5 Takeaways 🔌

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights five takeaways when attempting to define and measure Christian nationalism. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

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Need For Community: What the Church Should Do About Singleness

Christians are divided on how to address this growing issue. One camp sees this as a problem — something that needs to be solved by helping people get married. The other sees the problem as the privileging of marriage — and that it’s the church that needs to adapt to reflect such societal changes. Here’s what some books are saying about the issue.

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Search For ‘True Charity’: A Network Of Christian Ministries Aim To Find It

(ANALYSIS) True Charity is a network of nearly two hundred organizations that seek to improve charity, influence relevant policy, and inform the public about the importance of effective compassion. The group held its annual conference last week in Springfield, Missouri.

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‘Overhyped’ Christian Nationalism Label Draws Political Backlash

Even as countless books, newspaper articles and cable TV segments devote intense attention to Christian nationalism, the term has become so pervasive that it risks losing any real meaning, according to a growing group of scholars both on the left and right. Nonetheless, expect its use to grow as another presidential election nears.

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Despite Opposition From Bishops, EU Deems Abortion A ‘Fundamental Right’

Despite opposition from Catholic bishops across the continent, the European Union voted on Thursday to enshrine access to abortion as a “fundamental right” in its charter. The proposal — approved 336 votes for to 163 against — was passed in Brussels with support coming primarily from left-wing and centrist members.

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The Hoax Of Denying Replacement Theology

(OPINION) As for those who are not familiar with the term “replacement theology,” or, more technically, “supersessionism,” this refers to the idea that the Church has replaced (or superseded) Israel in God’s plan of salvation, as a result of which, the promises God once gave to national Israel now apply to the church.

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