A recent Lifeway Research study examining the rate at which evangelical and Black Protestant pastors leave the ministry also asked pastors about their experience with counseling, both in their ministry preparation and practice.
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It was during a June 22 service, a jihadi — Syria blamed the Islamic State group — entered with a rifle and began firing. As worshippers tackled him, he detonated an explosive vest. In seconds the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch had more names to add to its two millennia of saints and martyrs.
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At a time when the Trump administration has renewed a travel ban on various Muslim majority countries in Africa and across the Middle East, the Quran owned by John Adams is but one indication that our nation’s founders regarded Islam — as well as other, non-Western, non-Christian faiths — as worthy of respect and protection under the law.
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Tapio Luoma’s words were the latest in a series of apologies through which the former state churches in Scandinavia have sought to reset their relations with the Indigenous population of Sápmi, the natural and cultural area of Sámi people. Today, the region is divided between Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia.
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(OPINION) We know that the Holy Spirit convicts the world (unbelievers) of sin (John 16:8). But he also convicts believers of our sins. I have never again felt the weight of conviction as I did that time in 1979. But I am thankful how God cleared my conscience through the work of his Holy Spirit.
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(ANALYSIS) On June 21, 2025, Alex Sobel, a member of the U.K. Parliament, delivered a letter to Pope Leo XIV after a special audience for members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in the Hall of Benediction, the Vatican, calling upon him to stand up for Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned by Hong Kong authorities since December 2020.
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Russia continued to persecute pastors and shutter churches within its borders and in territories it occupies in Ukraine, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in an updated report. The government has imprisoned, tortured and levied monetary fines against many religious leaders, including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox Church of Ukraine and others.
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Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who became a household name amassing an enormous following and multimillion-dollar ministry only to be undone by his penchant for prostitutes, has died. He was 90.
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(REVIEW) “Squid Game” is a series that’s no stranger when it comes to weaving religious imagery into its narrative. Season 3 culminates that thread with both subtle and striking references, particularly when it comes to Christian symbolism. The season, it turns out, is more parable than sermon. The six episodes that form the final season are bloodier than ever.
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(ANALYSIS) Who voted how in 2024? The two most important surveys on U.S. election patterns are now available and among the findings is this bulletin: Along with its various current woes, in the long term the Democratic Party faces weakening support from many religious groups that is nearing a political emergency. No effective game plan for a turnaround is in sight.
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(ANALYSIS) Bono has never been backwards in coming forward, especially when it comes to God. He doesn’t mumble about “spiritual energy” or dodge the name of Jesus. He says it straight: “The Son of God.” He talks about Christ carrying his shame, not because it sounds poetic, but because he believes it. His faith isn’t necessarily neat or polished, but it's real.
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The director’s most recent film, “The Phoenician Scheme.” very explicitly affirms faith. This is all the more surprising because his previous film was one of the most moving anti-faith films of the past 20 years. What explains this? Why did Anderson change his portrayal of faith so radically between his last film and his latest one?
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(ANALYSIS) A new study has found nearly 950 hate-related incidents in India during the first year of the main ruling party’s third term. Religious minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, were the main targets of violence and hate speech. This rise in unchecked and largely unpunished hostility should concern all citizens.
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It was just another bombing in a complicated corner of the Middle East, but this one was important — the Associated Press noted — because it had major political implications. In this week’s episode, we dig into what it all means.
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The United States Supreme Court ruled Thursday that South Carolina can continue its effort to defund Planned Parenthood by barring abortion clinics in the state from participating in Medicaid programs. The case involved South Carolina officials asking the justices whether a Medicaid beneficiary and Planned Parenthood have the right to sue on the matter.
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(ANALYSIS) Taiwan’s international rating on freedom of religion is undisputedly very high. The 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, published by the U.S. Department of State, also noted Taiwan’s constitutional protection of the freedom of religion as well as the diversity of religious beliefs, but questions are asked about how freely can one practice their religion.
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James Weldon Johnson’s poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” set to music by his brother John Rosamond, was first presented as a hymn, then adopted as a song and soon cherished as an anthem. In its 125th anniversary year, the work — published in numerous hymnals — is seen as a healing balm with timely biblical and theological elements for a deeply divided United States.
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Season Two of the hit TV docuseries “Shiny Happy People” will focus on now-defunct Dallas-based youth ministry Teen Mania and founder Ron Luce, Amazon Prime Video announced Wednesday. Premiering July 23, the three-episode season will expose the early-2000s evangelical teen pop culture phenomenon.
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(ANALYSIS) Billboard commentator Xander Zellner recently noted: “Say your prayers: Christian music is making a serious comeback. On the Billboard Hot 100, dated May 10, two Christian songs are making waves: Brandon Lake's 'Hard Fought Hallelujah' ranks at No. 44 in its 11th week on the chart (after reaching No. 40) and Forrest Frank's 'Your Way's Better' jumps from No. 72 to No. 62 in its second week.”
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Most pastors say their churches have policies in place to address significant misbehavior by church members, but few have actually used those policies recently. According to a Lifeway Research study of more than 1,000 U.S. Protestant pastors, only 1 one in six say their church has formally disciplined anyone in the past year.
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