Hi ReligionUnplugged readers,
Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker is still on the air: he’s been broadcasting from a small community in the Ozark mountains since 2003. Mark Dowdy, a Kentucky-based music minister, worked as Bakker’s band director at Morningside in 2011. He was attracted by a high salary and a possibility to share God’s word with his talent, but he quickly became aware of Bakker’s fundraising tactics.
Dowdy talked to ReligionUnplugged reporter Jillian Cheney about his time at Morningside, Jim Bakker’s use of the book of Revelation and freeze-dried food buckets in today’s top story.
Make sure you don’t miss Bobby Ross Jr.’s special Monday edition of the Weekend Plug-in column, dealing with the 288-page report released Sunday on sex abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Religion reporters described the report as a “bombshell” and “an apocalypse.”
See you next week! If you like what you read, share this with your family and friends.
‘He’s Just A Salesman’: Former Morningside Band Director Talks Bakker’s Ministry Tactics
What Is A Latter-Day Saint Temple? by Taylor Petrey
(ANALYSIS) Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Questions Archbishop's Decision Regarding Communion Ban by Clemente Lisi
In an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi questioned whether San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was applying a double standard by banning her from receiving Holy Communion because she supports abortion rights but not supporters of the death penalty.
9 Known Muslim Prisoners Of Conscience In Kazakhstan Face Torture, Solitary Confinement by Felix Corley
Five of the nine known prisoners of conscience in Kazakhstan jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief were punished for participating in an online Islamic discussion group. The other four are also Sunni Muslims.
Religious Press Suffers Major Blow With Planned Shuttering Of CNS, Catholic New York by Clemente Lisi
The Catholic press — print, online and television — is one of the most active and vibrant in the United States, but the changing journalism landscape — spurred on by the internet — has made it tough for even religious media to thrive. This trend manifested itself recently with the pending closures of two highly venerated and popular Catholic news organizations: Catholic News Service and Catholic New York.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Banned From Receiving Communion Over Abortion Support by Clemente Lisi
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week that she is not eligible to receive Holy Communion when attending Mass in the Archdiocese of San Francisco given her support for abortion rights. Cordileone notified Pelosi of his decision on May 19 and announced it to the public in two separate letters.
One Week Later, Buffalo Shooting Sparks A Familiar Refrain With Few Solutions by Hamil R. Harris
The fatal mass shooting inside of a New York grocery store has shaken the faith of national political leaders by echoing a tragic and familiar refrain across the country — another mass shooting that appears motivated by race and hate.
Buffalo Church Members Help Save Lives During Grocery Store Shooting by Gabriel Grant Huff
Ten people died — including a relative of one church member, Patrick Patterson — in a supermarket massacre in Buffalo, New York. Patterson is a manager at the store and helped people escape during the shooting, which authorities have said was a hate crime targeting the Black community.
Inside The Rise Of Kansas Hoops Powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy by Clemente Lisi
(REVIEW) You may have never heard of the school, but that’s what makes their story an even better one. Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas has the numbers and alums to prove it is a powerhouse. Now there’s a new documentary that takes viewers into what makes this school so special.
Hindus In Kashmir Are Protesting A Man's Death, Demanding Security From Militants by Zaffar Iqbal
Protests by Kashmiri Hindus, also known as Kashmiri Pandits, have continued daily since the killing of Kashmiri Hindu Rahul Bhat on May 12 by, police allege, militants fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir. Hundreds of Pandit government employees with families are protesting and demanding security.
At A Popular Evangelical Tourist Site, The Ark Encounter, The Image Of A ‘Wrathful God’ Appeals To Millions by Susan L. Trollinger
(ANALYSIS) The Ark Encounter boasts a re-creation of the story of Noah’s Ark from the Bible. But what is particularly striking about Ark Encounter is that it is a tourist site devoted to emphasizing — with great specificity — the wrathful nature of God and the eternal damnation that awaits unrepentant sinners.
Love For Many Wrong Reasons: Three Years After The Cathedral’s Fire, A Look Back At Victor Hugo’s Passion For Notre Dame by R.T.M. Sullivan
(ANALYSIS) “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and its popularization in films and cartoons have greatly shaped our perceptions of the famous cathedral and the story of Quasimodo and Notre Dame is one of many stories that have become part of our collective worldview. For that reason alone, how and why Victor Hugo portrayed the cathedral are worth a close look.
Andrew Garfield, Deconstructionist Extraordinaire: A Look At The Actor’s Faith-Based Roles by Jillian Cheney
Andrew Garfield is a beloved actor of his generation, known for playing Spider-Man in the franchise’s first reboot and Eduardo Saverin in “The Social Network.” The majority of roles in his career have involved playing devout religious characters. We’ve taken a look back at the major ones.
Opinion
‘An Apocalypse’: Probe Into Southern Baptist Sex Abuse Turns Up ‘Bombshell’ Findings
In a special Monday edition of Weekend Plug-in, Bobby Ross Jr. highlights Sunday’s big news: the release of a 288-page investigative report on sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Don’t forget! You can subscribe to receive Bobby’s column early on Fridays for only $5 a month. Click the button below to subscribe!
Growing Haredi Numbers Poised To Alter Global Judaism by Ira Rifkin
As Evangelical Christians, We Are Bringing Reproach To The Name Of Jesus by Dr. Michael Brown
When Will Russia’s War On Ukraine End? Religion And Security Strategies by Lucian N. Leustean
Lessons From The Hall Of Men On The Kansas Plains by Terry Mattingly
Don’t miss our latest podcast
Adding a Templeton Prize to a Nobel and a MacArthur
Dr. Frank Wilczek is a theoretical physicist who recently received the 2022 Templeton Prize, adding to his Nobel Prize and MacArthur fellowship. He spoke with ReligionUnplugged.com executive editor Paul Glader about his religious upbringing and how it positively affected his approach to science. He also talks about how and why he became disillusioned with the religious teachings he experienced in his youth. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or listen directly on our website.
In case you missed it
Editorial picks from our archives
Theoretical Physicist Dr. Frank Wilczek Receives 2022 Templeton Prize by Paul Glader
In an interview with ReligionUnplugged.com, theoretical physicist and Templeton Prize winner Dr. Frank Wilczek said he was raised in New York City by parents with Italian and Polish backgrounds who wanted him educated in the Catholic tradition: “As a child, I took it very, very seriously and I think it had a residual influence in my later life in helping me to think big and look for the hidden meaning of things.”
Mission Berlin: The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints And Its Nearly 170 Years In Germany’s Capital City by Ken Chitwood
A tireless desire to share their message with the people of Berlin — and Germany as a whole — has helped the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ mission in Berlin persevere over the years, up to the present day.
Thanks again for reading!
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