The Olympic Games, often celebrated as the epitome of global unity and athletic excellence, have a darker legacy that is rarely discussed — a legacy that traces back to the 1904 St. Louis, Mo., Olympics, marred by overt racism, exploitation…
New USCIRF reports reveal the state of religious freedom in Eritrea and Nigeria
In the last two months, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released two major reports, each of which features an overview of the state of religion in two African countries — Eritrea and Nigeria. The reports reveal the…
UMC bishop back in Zimbabwe after visa detention in Nigeria
United Methodist Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa was safely home in Zimbabwe Aug. 27 after being detained in Nigeria on a visa complaint while visiting to set up the election of a new bishop. The incident marks the latest encounter in…
Gallup report highlights the impact of religion on gender inequality in Africa
Nearly three decades after the Beijing Conference on Women — where concerns about gender inequality were expressed — Africa still has a long way to go in bridging that gap, a new Gallup study has found. The report, Gender Power…
After UMC lifted bans on homosexuality, U.S. churches report calm while African churches see conflict
United Methodists in the United States are reporting their annual meetings are calmer and more joyful this year after the denomination’s top lawmaking body, the General Conference, removed the UMC’s 52-year-old policy holding “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with…
Ugandan Parliament speaker claims corruption charges are retaliation for passing anti-gay law
Is Anita Among, speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, paying a price for her role in passing the anti-gay bill in her country last year, or is she guilty of corruption? That’s the question Ugandans and people elsewhere ponder about the…
And also with the UMC: Where doctrine ends and culture begins
Not surprisingly, some actions taken by The United Methodist Church’s General Conference last week are being characterized as unbiblical by those who believe they alone hold the only correct interpretation of the Bible. We’ve heard this argument before, and it…
Benny Hinn goes to Africa, but can faith healing build roads and restore a broken economy?
Over the past two months, the Israeli American preacher Benny Hinn visited and preached in two African countries — Ghana in January and Kenya in February. His health and wealth gospel was well received in the African countries. In Nairobi,…
Africa’s Catholic bishops reject Vatican doctrine on blessing same-sex couples
A rebellion against Pope Francis is brewing in Africa. On Jan. 11, African Catholic bishops, gathered at a conference in Accra, declared the Vatican’s recent proposal to allow priests to offer non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples is contrary to their…