Faith & Culture News
News and commentary on faith, religious freedom, family values, marriage, parenting, and the cultural trends shaping American life.
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news
Here Are the 26 Most ‘Faith-Friendly’ Companies to Shop This Christmas
A new Christian-based consumer organization that ranks companies based on their friendliness toward people of faith released a Christmas “Best in Class” list, hoping to have a major impact on where people spend their money this holiday season. Topping the list are brands like Chick-fil-A, Dillards, Hobby Lobby, JetBlue, Pepsi, and Wal-Mart. The organization behind… -
news
What Companies Are Friendly to Faith-Based Shoppers? See The Rankings.
A new faith-based consumer organization is looking to have an impact on the profit margins of major companies this holiday season—and beyond—by influencing where people spend their money. In order to do so, the group, called Faith Driven Consumer, launched a Faith Equality Index, where they score companies on a 100-point “faith-compatibility” scale. Few companies… -
news
This Music Awards Show Honors ‘Faith, Family, and Country’
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—This past August, during an acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West announced his plan to run for president of the United States in 2020. The admission, widely reported by media outlets, was perhaps not entirely shocking in 2015, when awards shows frequently resemble either popularity contests or spectacles. (As the… -
news
City Made ‘Dangerous’ Admissions About Faith in the Workplace, Atlanta Fire Chief Lawyer Says
The city of Atlanta made “dangerous” admissions in a court hearing today, argued the lawyer for the former Atlanta fire chief who was terminated from his job after controversy related to a religious book he authored that included his views on homosexuality. “[The city] actually argued that you’re entitled to have beliefs and opinions, but… -
news
What’s After Failure? Former NFL Quarterback Jeff Kemp Talks Faith, Family, and Comebacks
“I got my big chance to be a starting quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks, and in one half of play against the 49ers, my old team, I stunk it up,” says Jeff Kemp, unfazed by the callused heartache he now accepts as mere fact. “I got booed, we got booed, and I got benched. I… -
news
Margaret Thatcher’s Hidden Faith
Does religion play a role in British politics? Dr. Eliza Filby, academic, writer, and businesswoman, spoke at The Heritage Foundation Wednesday about her book “God and Mrs. Thatcher: The Battle for Britain’s Soul.” In her book, Filby delves into a topic of how she believes that former Britain Prime Minister Thatcher’s faith is at the… -
opinion
New Movie ‘Captive’ Breaks the Mold for Faith-Based Films
The new movie “Captive,” which opens this weekend, breaks the typical Hollywood mold. “Captive” tells the true story of drug addict Ashley Smith, who, while being held captive in her own apartment, reads the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Pastor Rick Warren to her captor, Brian Nichols. Through this transformative experience, both characters are given… -
news
How One Catholic School Found Faith in the Floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina
NEW ORLEANS—When Hurricane Katrina left Mount Carmel Academy under 10 feet of water, many thought the school would be gone forever. Located in the Lakeview neighborhood, among the hardest hit areas in New Orleans, the all-girls Catholic high school was trapped between two breaks in the levees that were supposed to protect the city. The… -
news
Here’s What 5 Democratic Presidential Candidates Told Their Party Faithful in Iowa
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—All five 2016 presidential candidates on the Democratic ticket spoke from the same stage Friday evening in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Lincoln Chafee, Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb addressed more than 1,200 Iowa Democrats during a dinner celebration honoring hall of fame inductees into the Iowa Democratic Party. The… -
news
World Cup Star Credits Faith for Bringing Him Peace
American soccer goalie Tim Howard pointed beyond practice and talent to describe his success on the field. The 2014 World Cup star opened up about his faith yesterday on ABC News’ “This Week” to call his “relationship with Jesus Christ” a key to his life. He described his ability to play every day as a… -
opinion
A Day to Remember Those in Asia Persecuted for Their Faith
Today, Human Rights Day, countless individuals in Asia are facing immense religious persecution. The Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life found that religious hostilities in 2014 are at a six-year high. Pew estimates that one-third of the world’s worst oppressors of religious freedom are in Asia. And almost half of the worst social hostilities… -
news
Ferguson Faith Files: A Journalist’s Reflection
The Ferguson I experienced was a far cry from the images we see on TV and online. Among the charred remains of businesses destroyed during the Nov. 24 riots, joggers passed while families enjoyed a mild sunny morning. I will never forget the smells that emanated with each breeze. It was a burning smell, as if… -
opinion
Many Faiths, Common View on Marriage: Men and Women Are Created for Each Other
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m particularly thankful for marriage—both on a personal level and for the critical role it plays in society. Today, my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. And last week, I was able to join hundreds from around the world at an International Interfaith Colloquium led by Pope Francis… -
news
Mom Questions School for Portraying Muslims as More Faithful Than Christians
Is the faith of most Muslims “stronger” than that of the typical Christian? That’s what one public high school in North Carolina apparently is teaching students. Outraged over the “correct” answers to her son’s ninth-grade assignment about Islam, a mother in Union County, N.C., turned to local news reporters to shed light on his school’s… -
news
Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson’s Powerful Words: Faith Has ‘Carried’ Family ‘This Whole Way’
On “Dancing with the Stars” Monday night, 17-year-old Sadie Robertson talked about how important her family and her faith in God were to her. “My family would not be where we are without our faith. That’s what’s carried us this whole way,” the Duck Dynasty star and daughter of Willie Robertson said. “We put our… -
news
Sudanese Mom Tells Megyn Kelly How Faith Got Her Through Ordeal in Prison
After spending harrowing months imprisoned in Sudan for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, Meriam Ibrahim Ishag last night appeared on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” in her first television interview since her release. “Faith means life,” Ishag told host Megyn Kelly. “If you don’t have faith, you’re not alive.” Answering Kelly’s questions through a translator,… -
opinion
Here’s What Fear, Hunger and Faith Look Like
Exhausted mothers. Fathers fearing for their families. Children dying of thirst and hunger. Brand new babies delivered with no medical assistance. Dehydrated elderly. These are just some of the dire circumstances the Yezidi community has faced since being forced to flee their villages for the top of Mount Sinjar, Iraq, after terrorists from the Islamic State… -
news
Sudanese Mom, Once Sentenced to Die for Her Faith, Can Call America Home
The Sudanese mother who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith safety arrived Thursday night in the United States. Her husband, U.S. citizen Daniel Wani, cried tears of joy, according to a report in the New Hampshire Union Leader. “Thank you so much,” Wani, a resident of Manchester, N.H., told reporters. “I… -
news
Pictures of Faith at Work: This Family Waits, Prays for Obamacare Ruling
The Supreme Court is expected to decide as early as today whether the government can force two family businesses, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, to provide employee health plans that cover abortion-inducing drugs and devices. Countless other faith-based family businesses face devastating fines under Obamacare if they don't break their moral and religious convictions and comply with the same… -
news
Vote of No Confidence: Americans Have Little Faith in Media
A recent Gallup poll finds that Americans’ confidence in each of the three major media platforms—television news, newspapers and Internet news—has plummeted to record lows. When asked to identify from a list of 17 vital American institutes which they had a “great deal” or “quite a-lot” of confidence in, more than a thousand participants ranked…