When Ramadan began on April 12, Yusef Sublaban said a silent prayer thanking God for the opportunity to observe the Muslim holy month the way it is meant to be observed: in a mosque, and surrounded by friends and loved…
US Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking Communion
When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians: Don’t receive Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights.
In New York, interfaith coalition makes common cause against rising tide of hate
Synagogue safety has been a growing concern for American Jews ever since the October 2018 Pittsburgh massacre in which a gunman walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 people.
QAnon hasn’t gone away – it’s alive and kicking in states across the country
By this point, almost everyone has heard of QAnon, the conspiracy spawned by an anonymous online poster of enigmatic prophecies. Starting with an initial promise in 2017 that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be imminently arrested, a broad group of interpreters divined…
‘If you have eyes, plagiarize’: When borrowing a sermon goes too far
Colleen Reese was ticked at her preacher. Listening to the minister’s sermon at Franklin Christian Church, south of Nashville, she took exception when he began to criticize parents for passing bad habits — and bad genes — on to their…
FBI reaches out to Hasidic Jews to fight antisemitism – but bureau has fraught history with Judaism
The FBI wants to hear from Hasidim, or “ultra-Orthodox” Jews. The Hate Crimes Unit said as much when it issued announcements – in both Yiddish and Hebrew – asking Jews to report antisemitic incidents in an outreach campaign launched in April 2021.
US landmarks bearing racist and Colonial references are renamed to reflect Indigenous values
A creek running through the city of Ames in central Iowa was officially renamed from Squaw Creek to Ioway Creek in February 2021, after a yearlong process that involved local and federal agencies. The previous name is now considered an offensive reference to Native…
Jerusalem tension triggers Gaza-Israel fire exchange
Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip toward Israel resumed Saturday evening after a day-long pause despite calls for calm from the United Nations and threats by Israeli leaders to retaliate fiercely. Tensions in Jerusalem as Palestinians clashed with Israeli police…
Dave Ramsey’s Bestseller Slips from Top 10 List
Dave Ramsey’s perennial bestseller, The Total Money Makeover, has dropped off evangelical publishers’ top 10 list for the first time since the book’s fourth edition was published in 2013.