Ramadan, which began with a sunup-to-sundown fast Monday (Aug. 1), calls on the Muslim faithful to immerse themselves in scripture ― ideally by reading the entire Quran.
In 2009, Hussein Rashid, a professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary, noticed rabbis using Twitter to highlight snippets of Torah text to celebrate Shavuot, when Jews say Moses received God’s word at Mount Sinai.
No matter the genre, quality music draws people in.
So, since its beginning in January 2008, New Hope Presbyterian Church, a new church development in the heart of Orange County, CA, has placed an emphasis on music.
Three years later, New Hope has not only moved from monthly worship gatherings to weekly, but has also helped bring music back into a neighborhood school, hosts a leadership and music academy and has been asked to bring its ensemble to the local Starbucks on Sunday afternoons.
Clearly, something is resonating.
Bishop Ivan Abrahams knows what it means to be denied full rights in the society where you live.
Born in 1956 under South Africa’s apartheid system, he was 7 years old when his family was forced to move from a section of Capetown suddenly declared a whites-only area. His classification by the government as a “colored” person both stereotyped him and limited his choices.
Those early experiences spurred his involvement in justice ministries, and the “black and white blood coursing through my veins,” he says, has made him a reconciler.
A Norwegian bishop addressing the recent bombing and shooting attacks in his country said Norway has “countered this insane terrorism by demonstrating love and solidarity.”
“We have brought out a social capital we maybe even did not know was there. We must rebuild our trust in human beings as fellow human beings,” said Church of Norway Bishop Tor Singsaas of Nidaros at the opening of the annual St. Olav Festival in Trondheim on July 28.
In the days since the attacks, Norwegian priests and church workers have joined in caring for the survivors and the victims’ families, with churches opened for people seeking comfort and community. Oslo’s Lutheran Cathedral, situated a few blocks from the damaged government buildings, has become a center for mourners to light candles. Outside the cathedral, flowers cover large areas and also the street.
Many Muslim Americans had hoped that the death of Osama bin Laden would improve their image among other Americans, but according to a new survey, just the opposite has happened.
Rather than being mollified, anti-Muslim sentiment has intensified since Navy Seals killed the al-Qaida leader in a May 1 raid in Pakistan, according to a new report by researchers from the Ohio State University School of Communication, Cornell University’s Survey Research Institute, and the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.