Religion
One Prayer, 16 Languages
Orthodox churches that have not shared communion since the fifth century are now worshipping together in North American cities, searching for a form of faith that transcends linguistic and cultural differences.
The Pope and the President
Six months before the midterm elections, Pope Leo called President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran “unacceptable” and urged Americans to call on their representatives to oppose the war. Trump’s enraged reaction has since proved useful to the Vatican. The first American pope will not back down.
How the Rise of Bureaucracy Reshaped Religion
The ways that today’s states deal with the sacred are not determined by how “secular” they are or the lingering effects of ancient traditions. Variations in how religion relates to public life around the world were rather set by the evolution of modern bureaucracies.
Spiritual Women of the Wilderness
The Desert Mothers of early Christianity were as determined as male mystics to live solitary lives in the most testing of conditions. While their characters and lives are less well documented, what we do have gives intriguing glimpses into what it was like for a woman to be a recluse in a milieu dominated by men.
Fakirs and Holy Men: Mysticism in America, Europe and the Middle East — with Raphael Cormack and Finbar Anderson
Raphael Cormack tells New Lines’ Finbar Anderson about the mystics who fused elements of the spiritual and the modern to build huge followings from Beirut to New York in the early 20th century, as described in his new book “Holy Men of the Electromagnetic Age: A Forgotten History of the Occult.”
The Global Rise of Narco-Pentecostalism
Brazilian prosperity theology has made it possible for pastors and their congregants to be “involved in the drug trade and human trafficking, even in prostitution, and yet still see themselves as loyal and steadfast Christians,” Chesnut says, even if outsiders see “great contradictions in slinging an AK-47 across your shoulder after you've attended church.”
Why Pilgrims Are Dying on the Hajj
A recent overhaul of Saudi Arabia's visa system has caused the rise of an international network of “Hajj racketeers.” When unauthorized pilgrims reach Mecca, stringent new security measures force them to undertake long, arduous treks on foot under the scorching desert sun to fulfill their religious duties.