You’ve likely heard the Serenity Prayer − but not its backstory
Scott Paeth explores the Serenity Prayer's origins and its deep connection to Reinhold Niebuhr’s Christian realism, exploring faith, courage and justice.
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Why the ultimate goal — in sports and life — is called a ‘Holy Grail’
Several important threads have combined over the centuries to give rise to the Holy Grail metaphor commonly used nowadays. — Joanne M. Pierce
Upcoming canonization of “Millennial saint” Carlo Acutis reflects the Vatican’s desire to appeal to a new generation of Catholics
The Italian teenager Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 of a rare form of leukemia at age 15, will soon become the Catholic Church’s first “millennial saint.”
Affordable housing in God’s backyard: Some religious congregations find a new use for their space
Nadia A. Mian, an urban planning expert, reports on how churches are using their properties to respond to community needs.
What is Catholic Integralism?
Some news reports have referenced vice presidential candidate JD Vance's apparent association with Catholic Integralism. This leads us to ask: what is Catholic Integralism?
At the Olympics, athletes show guts, glory – and a lot of ink, including tattoos that profess their faith
Gustavo Morello, a scholar of religion, writes about tattoos.
Anti-immigrant pastors may be drawing attention – but faith leaders, including some evangelicals, are central to the movement to protect migrant rights
Brad Christerson, Alexia Salvatierra and Robert Chao Romero argue that faith leaders, including some evangelicals, are central to the current movement to protect immigrant rights, and they have been for over a hundred years.
How Hanukkah came to America
Hanukkah is ranked one of Judaism’s minor festivals, but in the United States it has gained popularity as an expression of American prosperity and religious freedom.
How the keffiyeh – a practical garment used for protection against the desert sun – became a symbol of Palestinian identity
A scholar of immigrant communities and religious minorities in Europe shares the history that shaped the keffiyeh’s origins and its transformation as a symbol of Palestinian cultural and national identity.
Israel’s mosaic of Jewish ethnic groups is key to understanding the country
The diversity of Israel’s Jewish population has been a source of tensions, but also strength, over the decades.
How to deal with visual misinformation circulating in the Israel-Hamas war and other conflicts
What is our ethical responsibility for consuming and sharing news online? Paul Morrow, a Human Rights Fellow at the University of Dayton, offers his analysis.
How Pat Robertson changed Christian media and made it politically influential
Pat Robertson, who died on June 8, 2023, married faith, news and media in a way that changed the landscape of American politics and religious life.
When faith says to help migrants – and the law says don’t
Many religious traditions preach the need to care for strangers. But what happens when caring for the stranger comes into conflict with government policy?
Gabriele Amorth conducted over 60,000 exorcisms and believed Hitler was possessed. Meet the man who inspired “The Pope’s Exorcist”
Russell Crowe’s new supernatural horror film "The Pope’s Exorcist" fictionalizes Amorth’s exorcism ministry, adding in a centuries-old Vatican cover-up for good measure.
Plans for religious charter school, though rejected for now, are already pushing church-state debates into new territory
Using public funds to support students at private religious schools is one thing, but establishing faith-based institutions within public districts is another.
From U2 to ‘Derry Girls’, every generation reflects on Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ in its own way
As the Good Friday Agreement turns 25, the country still resists violence through art.
Holy Week starts with palms — but Palm Sunday’s donkey is just as important to the story
Donkeys and palm leaves are both associated with Christianity’s Palm Sunday – but their symbolism couldn’t be more different.
Why can’t Americans agree on, well, nearly anything? Philosophy has some answers
A law professor shares two ideas that can help us think about polarization on matters of fact.
Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? A religion scholar explains the history of the often misunderstood group
A recent shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness center in Germany has put a focus on the religious group. Who are they?
The women who stood with Martin Luther King Jr. sustained a movement for social change
Many histories of the movement have neglected women's stories.
What’s going on with the wave of GOP bills about trans teens? Utah provides clues
Using Utah as a case study, Kelsy Burke and Tyler Lefevor argue that legislation limiting LGBTQ rights is not the inevitable outgrowth of conservative religious beliefs.
Why the pronouns used for God matter
As the Church of England considers what language and pronouns should be used to refer to God, Catholic feminist theologian Annie Selak offers her opinion of why pronouns for God matter.
How Jimmy Carter integrated his evangelical Christian faith into his political work, despite mockery and misunderstanding
Author of Jimmy Carter and the Birth of the Marathon Media Campaign observes that "Carter, as a president, was a man of faith committed to a vision of the nation that aligned with his views of Jesus’ teachings."
Turkey’s historic city of Antakya has been flattened by powerful earthquakes in the past – and rebuilt itself
Tens of thousands have died and millions have become homeless after a massive earthquake struck Tukey and Syria on Feb. 6, 2023. But the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, known in Roman and medieval times as Antioch, has been here before.
Why is a love poem full of sex in the Bible? Readers have been struggling with the Song of Songs for 2,000 years
The Song of Songs is the only work in the Bible that focuses exclusively on human-to-human love, not human-to-divine – at least on the surface level of the poem.