Oklahoma Christian is the only site outside of New York City to have survivor trees from both tragedies. Just west of the university’s library stands a tall American Elm, an offspring of a tree that remained standing after the Oklahoma City bombing. The April 19, 1995, attack, an act of domestic terrorism that claimed 168 lives, destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
Read MoreA large majority of U.S. Catholics have a positive view of Pope Francis — although his popularity has slipped since he became pontiff in 2013, a new poll has found. Furthermore, when it comes to whether priests should be allowed to marry, among other hot-button issues, Catholics in the United States remain divided primarily along political lines.
Read More(EXCERPT) My purpose in writing “Motorhome Prophecies” is to help bring others out of isolation. To let them know that "death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). My father prophesied my death if I left his cult. I internalized those curses, and as a result, suffered many close scrapes with the demons of mental illness. But to quote author Linda Schubert, “While my failures were ‘legendary,’ the love of God was even more legendary.”
Read MoreAuthorities said a woman opened fire with an AR-15 on celebrity televangelist Joel Osteen’s Texas megachurch — one of the largest in the country — before two-off duty police officers shot and killed the suspect. The officers’ actions, police said, averted what could have been a bigger tragedy.
Read MoreDave Canales is ready to start his journey as head coach of the Carolina Panthers nearly two years after co-authoring a book with his wife Lizzy about working through problems with infidelity, addiction to pornography and binge drinking. Canales credits his wife’s support and Christianity for helping him improve his life.
Read More(REVIEW) Famous musician Lil Nas X is making his “comeback” to music — to do it, he’s paying homage to Jesus, “who had the greatest comeback of all time.” The single, “J Christ,” and its music video are saturated with over-the-top, “scandalous” religious images that have generated more than their fair share of controversy.
Read MoreA Christian group that has called the seaside town of Ocean Grove in New Jersey home for over 150 years is in a battle with state officials over beach access on Sundays. The town has kept its beach closed on Sundays from 9 a.m to noon — a total of 45 hours a year — each summer so that residents can attend church services. But New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection has issued a violation letter stating the town is disobeying the law by cutting off access to the ocean.
Read More(REVIEW) In the third season of “The Righteous Gemstones,” the fictional Gemstone family members — wealthy leaders of a prominent megachurch — are as outlandish and chaotic as ever. But this season, the challenges they face begin to feel trite and their redemption feels less genuine.
Read More(REVIEW) “Weird Al” Yankovic, the polka superstar and master of parodies, is one of the most unique artists of our time. It’s only right that the biopic chronicling his life is just as unique as he is.
Read More(REVIEW) Defining photographer David LaChapelle is known for his celebrity portraits and his use of surreal stages highlighted with bright colors. His work is also deeply religious, often modernizing popular Renaissance art and imagining Jesus in the present day. His exhibit “make Believe” at Fotografiska in New York is a spiritual environment to take in his work and belief.
Read More(OPINION) C.S. Lewis, in his lecture De Descriptione Temporum, noted that “somewhere between us and Jane Austen’s Persuasion in 1816 runs the chasm between Old Western Man and New Western Man — the Great Divide.” It represents a “vast change” between Jane Austen’s time and ours. That’s when he says the Western world entered a post-Christian age.
Read MoreMark Dowdy was a band director at Morningside, the community where televangelist Jim Bakker broadcasts tapings of his show, in 2011. When he began, he hoped he would be able to do good through Bakker’s ministry — but his view quickly changed. He talked to ReligionUnplugged about his time at Morningside and what he thinks of Bakker.
Read MoreBible app YouVersion has been installed 500 million times worldwide, marking a milestone in the app’s development. The app contains over 2,600 Bible versions including translations in 1,760 languages, and its users read or listened to about 64 billion chapters of the Bible this year.
Read MoreReligionUnplugged interviews Mitchell West, known as Street Hymns, one of the founding members of the Christian battle rap group Four Horsemen.
Read More(OPINION) A piece about China’s communist government’s fear of Christianity sparks the question– why don’t news outlets cover the government’s fear and distaste of other religions, such as Buddhism and Islam, as well?
Read MoreRecently, the supreme court made declined to say whether or not a flower shop owner could refuse same-sex weddings.
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter erased a page from their official website that included a controversial manifesto that’s been debated in Christian circles grappling with how to support efforts to fight racism without sacrificing Christian beliefs. Conservative Clergy of Color, a Christian ministers’ organization organized against the Black Lives Matter movement, is questioning the reason for BLM’s wording change.
Read More(TRAVEL) Taizé is a small, rural village in France popular for the presence of an ecumenical Christian monastic fraternity. A Muslim woman from Lebanon shares her experience after spending a month in the interfaith community.
Read MoreChan Young-man, a 69-year-old pastor, has been on the frontlines of Hong Kong’s protests since starting a petition to withdraw the proposed extradition bill. Now, since China’s new security law meant to punish dissidents in Hong Kong, he is continuing to help Christians hold onto hope in dark times.
Read MoreAn Alabama pastor stirred controversy after liking social media posts that some community members viewed as culturally insensitive. Though he has since issued an apology, the local school board and housing authority have cut ties with the church, prompting further debate on whether actions on social media should warrant such a response.
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