Posts in North America
When ‘The Anxious Generation’ Met The Pulpit

(ANALYSIS) When Rational Sheep opened for business two-plus years ago, there was a huge signpost just ahead for people interested in debates about technology, smartphones, social media and screens-culture issues in general. We were getting close to the release of Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Trades In Faith For Politics To The Series’ Detriment

Very few superheroes wear their faith on their sleeves like Daredevil. But the Season 2 opener for Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again” has pulled back on those elements. If that reflects the rest of the season, it will be to the show’s detriment.

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‘God Is Nonbinary’: Is Saying So Political Suicide?

(ANALYSIS) Mark Leibovich, author of The Atlantic’s “Why Do Democrats Hate Winning,” is among those who think it is. He expresses his concern to James Talarico, who is now running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. In 2021, Talarico made such a declaration. Leibovich posits that this could cause trouble for him as a candidate.

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Can We Blame The Nones For America’s Marriage Crisis?

(ANALYSIS) A couple of months ago, the Heritage Foundation released a report entitled, “Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 Years.” You can probably guess the contents of said report from just the title, but to summarize: People aren’t walking down the aisle that much anymore.

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50 Years After Quinlan: The Case That Gave Patients the Final Say

(ANALYSIS) March 31 marks 50 years since a landmark decision that shapes American patients’ rights every day: the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, who had suffered an irreversible coma. Quinlan’s case established for the first time that decisions near the end of life should be made by patients and families, not by doctors and hospitals alone.

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Hegseth Announces Changes To Faith Codes And Uniforms For US Military Chaplains

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced two historic changes to the military’s chaplaincy corps this week after previewing those updates this past December. The first was the consolidation of the faith codes associated with chaplaincy and the second was the replacement of rank insignia from chaplains’ uniforms with their religious insignia.

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SCOTUS Delivers Major Win For A Christian Preacher And The Constitution

(ANALYSIS) The Supreme Court recently announced a major decision in what seems like a quintessential religious freedom case: A Christian preacher charged with violating a city ordinance for sharing his faith in a public park. But outrageous as it may have been, the preacher’s arrest was not actually at the heart of this case.

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Christian Radio Remains Widespread Despite Streaming Boom

A new report from the Pew Research Center found that religious radio stations remain ubiquitous — with 98% of U.S. adults living within the local coverage area of at least one of them. The report found that an “overwhelming majority” of those stations are Christian. Despite the rise of digital media, 45% of U.S. adults say they’ve listened to religious programming on the radio.  

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Chuck Norris, Icon Of American Machismo Who Returned To Faith, Dies At 86

Even Chuck Norris’s granddaughter bought into the memes that described her Papa as indestructible. He was, as she wrote recently, the man who “counted to infinity twice, the man who got bit by a cobra and the cobra died.” Chuck Norris didn’t do pushups, she added; he “would push the earth down.”

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From Baseball To Bible Study: Sandlot Revival Inspires Christian Worship

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary hosted a Sandlot Revival worship night on March 13, marking the tour’s first event outside Savannah. Led by Banana Ball players including Coach RAC, the gathering featured testimonies, worship music and a Gospel message, highlighting the movement’s growth from a team Bible study into a nationwide outreach effort.

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Cesar Chavez’s Faith Reexamined Amid Abuse Allegations

(ANALYSIS) Cesar Chavez, revered labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, built a legacy of nonviolent activism rooted in the Catholic faith. New allegations of decades-old sexual abuse now challenge his image, raising questions about power, morality and how society should reassess historical figures and their complicated legacies.

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Exile And Identity: How Judaism Shaped Korngold’s Unfinished Comeback

(REVIEW) In 1954, the Oscar-winning composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold staged a European homecoming with a new operetta. How this came to pass — and how his planned comeback failed to materialize — is even more convoluted than the piece’s farcical plot. Korngold, a Jewish refugee from Vienna, first came to Hollywood to adapt Felix Mendelssohn’s music for Max Reinhardt’s 1935 film of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

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Joseph Duggar’s Wife Arrested In Arkansas As Both Face New Criminal Charges

Kendra Duggar, wife of former “19 Kids and Counting” TV star Joseph Duggar, has been arrested in Arkansas. Both she and her husband are now facing misdemeanor child endangerment and false imprisonment charges.

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‘Never Been A Better Time’: Increased Bible Sales Brings Opportunities For Churches

Last year, 570 years after Gutenberg, more than 19.1 million Bibles were sold in the U.S., according to market research firm Circana. Bible sales increased by 12 percent over 2024 and have more than tripled over the past 10 years.

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Ex-Pastor And ‘American Idol’ Singer Pleads Not Guilty To Wife’s Murder

A former Ohio worship pastor and American Idol contestant, accused of murdering his wife pleaded not guilty to 11 charges during a March 19 arraignment.

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The Confederate Flag Divides America — But Not How You Would Think

(ANALYSIS) If you’ve ever taken a sociology course in college, there’s a good chance that the instructor spent at least a little bit of time talking about the power of symbols in a society. They can be nothing more than a single word or just a short phrase that can convey a world of meaning, purpose and solidarity.

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Meaning Without Repentance: The Rise of Lifestyle Paganism

(ANALYSIS) Modern culture claims to have outgrown religion, yet quietly rebuilds it through astrology, crystals and spiritual wellness. These practices offer meaning without authority and comfort without discipline. Paganism hasn’t vanished; it has adapted, trading temples for timelines and gods for vibes, while preserving the same ancient hunger for order.

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What This Philosopher Says About Our Obsession With College Rankings

(ANALYSIS) Each March, many of the country’s most selective colleges and universities release their admissions decisions, reviving debates over the roles of race, wealth and privilege — and putting Americans’ cultural obsession with rankings back in the spotlight.

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James Talarico And The Struggle Over Christianity In US Politics

(ANALYSIS) The Democratic Senate candidacy of James Talarico in Texas represents more than a conventional partisan contest. If he succeeds, it would signal a reopening of that religious space for the left. If he fails, it will only reinforce the notion that overtly Christian rhetoric remains the domain of conservative politics.

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