As usual, it was difficult to lift up just 10 films from a formidable list of those that move beyond entertainment into the realm of the spiritual.
The films are not blatantly religious or churchy, though several do feature characters who profess strong faith in God — and several were or are church goers. Rather, spiritual refers to the broader idea of affirming that life is more than just what we can see, that it is often difficult and dark, but that it is possible to find the resources to overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles.
In an inter-religious service organized by the Vatican, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit stressed the importance of “expressions for peace and the mutual respect for the dignity of the other.”
The Spokane Islamic Center wants something mosques all across the country are seeking and can’t seem to find: an educated, bilingual, experienced imam who understands American culture.
The Gang of 8, four Republican Senators and four Democratic Senators, and President Obama separately held press conferences to unveil their proposals for moving forward on legislation to overhaul our country's immigration system earlier this week. Both plans call for strengthening border security and creating a pathway to citizenship for families already living and working in the U.S. The call for a pathway to citizenship is an important part of comprehensive immigration reform and an element of what the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has called for many times over the years.
Gun violence is not just a tragedy, it is a disaster with waves that spread in many directions, viewers of the new documentary film Trigger: The Ripple Effect of Gun Violence affirm.
“Those ripples affect every single one of us,” said David Roberts, a member of Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Hearing the stories and seeing the pictures in this film will “heighten the awareness … of how gun violence affects people everywhere,” he said.
A historic church document penned by English and Scottish Reformers in the 17th century has made it possible for a contemporary American college student to study in Africa, surely a mark of a prophetic church with an unwavering commitment to education.
By successfully memorizing and reciting the Westminster Shorter Catechism contained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Book of Confessions, Laura Garrett, a senior at Centre College, was named last year as one of the top two winners of the Samuel Robinson Award. Garrett used the award’s monetary prize to travel to Ghana with several classmates from Centre—a Presbyterian-related college in Danville, Kentucky—earlier this month.
“The World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly will be an opportunity for praying, listening and sharing together. The event will provide participants a chance to listen for the voice of God, leading them to justice and peace in the world.”
The Cuban government’s economic reforms must consider the myriad opportunities offered by the Internet, a key platform of the dominant economic model on the planet, according to interviews with both experts and average people.
As the director of a kosher food pantry outside Detroit, Lea Luger knows that some people have a hard time thinking that Jews anywhere in America could be short on food.
“Peace is something radical, something that has to be told — and has to be believed, so that it may become possible,” said the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in sermons to several congregations in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 27.