Not only did Orthodox Christians make up a significant number of the scores of protesters who took to the streets in pro-democracy protests across Russia this year; many of them openly cited their faith as grounds for taking action.
Boko Haram has waged a religious ideological war for the past two decades, aiming to crush Western influences and create an Islamic caliphate. The murder of a Nigerian pastor is only the latest in a surge of attacks in the West African nation.
It's rarely put as bluntly as a small Minnesota congregation where some members recently claimed “age discrimination” over a service being canceled. But there are many churches sending a similar message: “If you are an older adult, we don’t want you here.”
Beyond average Sunday attendance, there are other ways to measure the role of churches in the community. Things like footprint, partners, impact, and calling also tell a story.
MinistryWatch called attention to several major evangelical organizations that have in recent years moved to a new strategy: shifting from a nonprofit status to a “church” status with the IRS, allowing them to keep private exactly how their money is being spent and the salaries
“Acts of God” provisions have their roots in what was once viewed as inexplicable — floods, fires, natural disasters. That interpretation has since evolved into a legal shorthand for unanticipated events beyond human control.
New research recently unveiled in Rome suggests women had a greater role in the early church's ministries and liturgies than previously thought and were present at church altars as deacons, priests and even bishops.
A new report from Paul A. Djupe and Ryan P. Burge at Religion In Public finds that, despite the group's rather meager size, the Religious Left is “the most active group in American politics.”
For more than two decades, legislators have filed a bill that would explicitly protect LGBTQ Missourians from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation. Can it pass this year?
