Why did the U.S. remove Nigeria from its religious freedom watch list?
Plus a Catholic nun who created a global healthcare program, a pilgrimage to the Rothko Chapel in Houston and more headlines
Hi ReligionUnplugged readers,
Every year, the U.S. Secretary of State announces a list of countries that the U.S. government considers “countries of particular concern.” These countries are ones that regularly violate religious freedoms. This year, Nigeria is notably absent from the list for the second year in a row — though Christians are regularly kidnapped and killed in the country.
Instead, Boko Haram and other Islamist groups in Nigeria were labeled “entities of particular concern.” Contributor Ekpali Saint writes on these new changes and the attacks that have significantly reduced missionary work happening in rural communities.
Also this week:
Dr. Anne Merriman, who began her career working with the Medical Missionaries of Mary, traveled to Uganda in 1993. The country was in the midst of an AIDS epidemic, and people were dying painful deaths alone in their homes. With only three months of funding, she created a palliative care program that is now practiced in 37 countries across the continent.
Contributor Amy Fallon — based in Uganda — spoke to Merriman about growing up in WWII, being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and more.
In culture:
An essay from Roberta Green Ahmanson, award-winning journalist and chairwoman of The Media Project, explores the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. She writes on this special display of the artist’s work, how they reminisce on Bible passages and why “Rothko has long been the mid-century artist whose work I thought had the most to say about the human condition.”
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Despite Attacks, US Removes Nigeria From Religious Freedom Watch List
This week U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a list of countries that the U.S. government considers “countries of particular concern” for religious freedom violations. Nigeria is notably absent, despite attacks so frequent that many Christian ministries have stopped serving some rural communities. by Ekpali Saint
How A Catholic Nun In Uganda Created A Global Program For The Terminally Ill by Amy Fallon
Dr. Anne Merriman, 87, recalls a time in Uganda when people were “dying all over the place” in 1993, the height of the AIDS epidemic. Though she initially arrived in Africa with only three months’ funding, Merriman managed to set up a successful continent-wide palliative care program now present in 37 countries. Over nearly three decades, it has let thousands of patients die a dignified death at home and provided palliative care training to nurses and others.
Chasing The Rothko Trail by Roberta Green Ahmanson
(ESSAY) What is now the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, has become a pilgrimage destination for some and an enigma to others. Mark Rothko has long been the mid-century artist whose work I thought had the most to say about the human condition. As a reader of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, Rothko often said that tragedy was at the heart of human experience — that in solitude our deep loneliness was palpable.
From Churches In Qatar To Brazil’s Evangelicals: Religion Storylines At The FIFA World Cup by Clemente Lisi
(ANALYSIS) The World Cup in Qatar continues to roll along into the semifinals. So far, the premier soccer tournament — and arguably the planet’s biggest sporting event — has showcased skill, drama and even some upsets. Aside from all that, what the World Cup has also generated are plenty of different kinds of storylines to focus on.
Vermont To Reimburse Families For Tuition To Private Religious Schools by Kim Roberts
In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled its Town Tuition program could not fund tuition to religious schools because “it forced taxpayer support of religious worship.” But in the wake of Carson v. Makin, the state will now apply its tuition benefit program to families who choose to send their children to religious schools.
Cost To Send Missionaries Overseas Varies Widely by Shannon Cuthrell
How much does it cost to send a missionary overseas? How much revenue do missions-oriented nonprofits raise to this end? These are the questions MinistryWatch sought to answer when we asked more than 60 of the largest missions, Bible translation, and fellowship evangelism organizations how many full-time missionaries they have in the field.
West Bank City’s Christian Residents Face Uncertain Future As Emigration Takes Toll by Gil Zohar
The town in the West Bank where the Magi are believed to have followed the star toward newborn Jesus is today a shrinking community of Greek Orthodox Christians. At a recent Christmas tree lighting, residents spoke about family members who have moved abroad, mostly to the United States, South America and Europe, leaving behind an ever-shrinking and aging community.
Come And See Foundation Debuts App And Translation Efforts For ‘The Chosen’ by Steve Rabey
The Come and See Foundation — a nonprofit founded in October by veterans of Christian publishing, retailing and Bible translation — seeks to reach one billion people with free versions of the mega-popular series “The Chosen” in hundreds of different languages.
Atlanta Megachurch Alleges Widespread Fraud Against African American Churches by Anne Stych
Attorneys representing an Atlanta megachurch have filed a lawsuit alleging the bank and investors group that financed its property engaged in predatory behavior, taking millions of dollars from the church as part of a widespread conspiracy that also targeted other African American churches.
How Nonreligious Americans Are Finding Ways Of Pursuing Meaning by Morgan Shipley
(ANALYSIS) In her study of multiple SBNR identities, theologian Linda Mercadante found that the turn away from organized religion does not necessarily come at the expense of faith, ritual or practice. For “post-Christianity” seekers, Mercadante stresses how spiritual fulfillment moves from “religious and civic institutions to ‘gathering places.’”
Opinion
Religion Vs. Gay Rights: Friction Over LGBTQ Issues Escalates Around The World
In this week’s Weekend Plug-in, Bobby Ross Jr. highlights religion and gay rights clashes happening around the world. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
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Wassim Razzouk and his sons are carrying their family’s Egyptian Coptic Christian tattooing tradition into its eighth century in Jerusalem’s Old City. ReligionUnplugged.comtalked to Razzouk to learn more about his family history, the craft of tattooing, why Christian megachurch pastors and Catholic priests are coming to his shop and promoting the Razzouks on social media and how the Coptic faith propels his family business.
Thanks again for reading!
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