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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Grammy-Winning Gospel Singer And ‘American Idol’ Star Mandisa Dies At 47

Grammy Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Mandisa Lynn Hundley, a former Lifeway Christian Resources employee and top-10 “American Idol” finisher, was found dead on April 18 at her Nashville home, her publicist announced on social media. No cause of death was given.

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Israel Sends A Message To Iran, But Tensions Not Likely to Escalate

(OPINION) Is the conflict between Israel and Iran about to explode? Are we on the edge of World War III, if not Armageddon? The answer to all these questions is the same: not likely. But in saying this I do not claim supernatural, prophetic insight.

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‘The Russian World’: The Document That Rocked Orthodoxy

(ANALYSIS) The Congress of the XXV World Russian People’s Council, headed by Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, issued a document on March 27 entitled: “The Present and Future of the Russian World.” In the document, the leadership of the XXV World Russian People’s Council describes the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.”

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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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Pastor Rearrested In Myanmar Just Hours After Being Freed

A Baptist pastor and religious freedom advocate in war-torn Myanmar was rearrested by junta leaders after mere hours of freedom. Hkalam Samson, former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myanmar and a civic activist, had been released April 17 from a six-year prison sentence alongside 3,300 other prisoners in a mass amnesty customarily granted at Myanmar’s New Year, celebrated April 13-16 this year.

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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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State Of The Bible: Americans Less Engaged, But Gen Z Bucks Trend

Scripture engagement among American adults is at its lowest point in the 14 years the American Bible Society has commissioned the annual State of the Bible report, researchers said in releasing the first chapter of the 2024 report. Well over half — 57 percent, or 151 million — of American adults are Bible Disengaged, based on a 15-question metric.

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‘Every Church Counts’: New Campaign Aims To Save Britain’s Houses Of Worship

Changing population patterns and crumbling buildings requiring costly repairs have creating a challenging environment for Britain’s network of thousands of churches, many of which date back hundreds of years. It’s a situation that has resulted in a major campaign to save these churches — and increasingly inventive ways of maintaining their existence.

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On Religion: Ukraine’s Historic Orthodox Church Slams ‘Russian World’

(ANALYSIS) Close observers of Eastern Orthodox Christianity were not surprised when the recent World Russian People’s Council bluntly rejected “abortion propaganda,” efforts to promote LGBTQ rights and this age of “sexual licentiousness and debauchery.” It wasn’t surprising when that Moscow conference urged the defense of traditional families, “strong with many children,” during an era where birth rates are falling.

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Prominent Dallas Pastor Steps Down As Rainbow Push Coalition Head

Just three months after he was installed as president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, the Rev. Freddie Haynes II abruptly resigned this week as leader of the historic Civil Rights organization. Last July, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had selected Haynes to lead the organization starting in 2024.

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What Houdini, Coney Island And Space Aliens Have To Do With The Book Of Exodus

Every year at Passover we are commanded to imagine ourselves leaving Egypt — Joel Silverstein painted himself into the picture. In “The Brighton Beach Bible” — an art book with narrative commentary — Silverstein envisions the boardwalks and abandoned attractions of his childhood in Brooklyn as the staging ground for the Exodus and 40 years in the wilderness.

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Lifting Up Two-Spirit Voices: The Story Behind Disney’s ‘The Roof’

“The Roof,” released as part of the second season of the platform’s “Launchpad” series, tells the coming-of-age story of a two-spirit Northern Cheyenne teenager (played by Phoenix Wilson) who is sent to live with their grandfather (played by Academy-Award winner Wes Studi). The two learn to connect and the teen gains an understanding of what it means to be two-spirit, while the grandfather opens up about his life.

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Horror Movie ‘Late Night With The Devil’ Brings The Satanic Panic To Life

(REVIEW) New horror film “Late Night with the Devil” plays off the fears of the Satanic panic — and exists in a world where those beliefs are all true. The movie is of the found footage genre, a fiction film told with documentary-style footage. It showcases a broadcast and behind the scenes footage from a broadcast of late night talk show “Night Owls” on Halloween of 1977. 

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Christian Ministry Builds State-of-the-Art Stadium Amid Growing Scandals

Zimbabwe’s renowned cleric and Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministry founder Walter Magaya recently built a modern soccer stadium in less than six months at his Yadah Complex in the capital city Harare. The project comes at a time when Magaya is facing several scandals, including being accused of rape and financial wrongdoing.  

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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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Conservative Evangelical Activist Beverly LaHaye Dies At 94

Beverly LaHaye, a prominent conservative Christian activist who founded Concerned Women for America, passed away Sunday at the age of 94, CWA announced. LaHaye formed CWA 45 years ago to advocate for biblical principles at all levels of public policy. Since then, it has become the “nation’s largest public policy women’s organization,” with chapters in nearly every state, CWA said on its website.

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