It’s a simplistic story wrapped in data.
CHR Comment: A helpful and interesting critique of the history behind the title of Robert P. Jones’s book about American Evangelicals and declining Protestantism.
Source: ‘The End of White Christian America’ is meaningless | Religion News Service
But Poland’s nationalist shift has been especially polarizing and, its critics say, dangerous.
CHR Comment: The article describes the affects of the Law and Justice Party, which is strongly influenced by Polish Roman Catholics. It also describes the atheist mayor of Wadowice, where Pope John Paul II was born.
The AME Church is holding its convention this week in Philadelphia. Members react to the deaths of five police officers, after a spate of police-related violence rocked Minneapolis and Baton Rouge.
CHR Comment: The article briefly describes the history of the convention and its on-going relationship with Democratic nominees.
Source: Hillary Clinton Addresses Recent Shootings At African Methodist Episcopal Church Convention : NPR
Free Hill, Tenn., was around long before the Civil War but those who live there now worry it won’t last much longer.
CHR Comment: The Free Hill black community was established when a slave owner freed her slaves in Tennessee. This remote community lived freely, though in poverty, while the rest of the nation fought over the issues of slavery and states’ rights. The article describes the local Church of Christ as the cornerstone of the community.
A Vatican court declared Thursday it had no jurisdiction to prosecute or convict two journalists for having published confidential information, ending an eight-month trial that drew scorn from media rights groups around the world.
CHR Comment: The leaks scandal ends with not too much scandal, at least not from a legal perspective.
Source: Vatican convicts 2 in leaks scandal; journalists cleared
Nothing says America like a giant religious tourist attraction that spurs debate and makes money.
CHR Comment: A helpful description of expected visitors and financial aspects of the Noah’s Ark exhibit.
Christianity is growing so fast and so noisily in parts of Nigeria that the authorities are actually having to shut churches down – to secure peace and quiet for local residents.
CHR Comment: 70 churches were shut down for not complying with local ordinances that are trying to address noise pollution in the city. Mosques and clubs have also been shut down. But the rapid growth of numerous, small local churches alongside large churches like the one pictured above are contributing to overwhelming noise pollution. The article notes the large number of Anglicans in Nigeria and the fact that the population of the country is projected to double by 2050.
The article also mentions a conservative Anglican organization called Gafcon, which stands for Global Anglican Future. For more on Gafcon, see second link below.
Source: Churches forced to shut in Nigeria – for being too noisy | Christian News on Christian Today
A crowd-funded archaeology dig has uncovered evidence of the lost medieval monastery where the Lindisfarne Gospels were written.
CHR Comment: The site yields important information about early Anglo-Saxon Christians, examples of their artistry, and the result of attacks by the Vikings. The monastery was founded in 635 AD but researchers had not identified its exact location.
The article mentions the importance of “frith” in Anglo-Saxon names (also spelled “vride”). The word is related to the modern German term “friede,” which means “peace” or “security,” and was an important ideal in Germanic society and law.
When Jacqueline Montero takes her seat in Congress next month, she will bring not only an unusual past but an unconventional agenda for change in this socially conservative Caribbean country.
CHR Comment: This is a complex and sad story. The end of the article describes the role of Jacqueline’s beliefs, her denominational background, and Universidad Cristiana where she studied theology in the Dominican Republic.
Source: A former prostitute hopes to shake up Dominican Congress – The Washington Post
On a hill above the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, archaeologists have discovered one amazing floor mosaic after another.
CHR Comment: These synagogue mosaics are described as “Roman Era,” which makes them contemporary with the rise of Christianity in the Near East. They illustrate the character of Judaism and worship at this time.
Source: Bible Scenes Uncovered in Ruins of Ancient Synagogue
church history review 