Muslim properties are being demolished in India without notice
"We are targeted for our faith," one business owner said
Hi ReligionUnplugged readers,
Dozens of Muslim properties have been demolished in New Delhi and BJP-ruled states of India in recent weeks. According to the government, these bulldozer demolitions were to remove “illegal encroachments” in the national capital, but residents who lost their buildings tell a different story.
India contributor Hanan Zaffar reports on the demolitions and their use as a potential punishment for India’s largest minority group, featuring photojournalism from Danish Pandit.
Also this week, Nairobi-based correspondent Tom Osanjo reflects on the life of Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki, who died on Friday at age 90. Kibaki was Kenya’s third president. As a child, he encountered Consolata Missionaries who introduced him to the Catholic faith and advanced eduction. Don’t miss how this led to new opportunities in Kibaki’s personal and political life.
See you next week. If you like what you read, share this with your family and friends.
In India A New Pattern Emerges: Bulldozing Muslim Properties
How A Christian Education Shaped The Life Of The Late Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki by Tom Osanjo
(ANALYSIS) As a child, the late Mwai Kibaki was taken to school by Consolata Missionaries because he did not have the strength for the back-breaking tasks of peasant farming and looking after animals. Those early interactions with Catholics became evident in Kibaki’s moderate dealings as a lecturer, politician and eventual president of Kenya.
Indebted Andrew Wommack Ministry Wants Out Of Taxable Student Housing Agreement by Steve Rabey
TV preacher Andrew Wommack’s ministry racked up $25.9 million in debt building the $99 million campus of Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, up in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. Wommack now wants to tear up an agreement he made with the city a decade ago to build campus student housing as a taxable private enterprise.
Embezzlement Will Cost Churches $170 Billion Per Year By 2050, Research Shows by Anne Stych
Embezzlement will cost churches $170 billion in the year 2050 if current trends continue, according to Center for the Study of Global Christianity co-Director Todd Johnson. But while 1 in 3 churches will be victims of embezzlement, 27% won’t report the crime because members often have a hard time believing they have been victimized.
Agape Flights Plane Serving Missionaries Attacked And Burned In Haiti by Steve Rabey
Missionaries throughout Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas look forward to the weekly arrivals of planes flown by Agape Flights, a Florida ministry that shuttles mail, medicines, cargo, relief supplies and other resources. But one of its planes was burned in Haiti by demonstrators protesting the country’s increasing violence and kidnappings.
Getty Museum's Christian Manuscripts Exhibit Sees Antisemitism Where There Is None by R.T.M. Sullivan
(REVIEW) Images from 31 unique ancient objects, including Christian manuscripts in Latin, the Getty’s treasured Rothschild Pentateuch in Hebrew and two printed Hebrew books — from between 1040 to 1592 — are on display until May 29 at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. But the Getty’s text descriptions seem intended to push a misinterpretation of the Christian images as works of antisemitism and misogyny, based on little or no evidence.
Some ‘Father Stu’ News Coverage Missed Movie's Real-Life Redemptive Message by Clemente Lisi
(ANALYSIS) It’s understandable that reviewers are entitled to their opinions. After all, that’s the job of a critic. But the coverage around “Father Stu,” however, has been framed in a certain way, offering up lopsided and negative takes among many mainstream news sites.
Opinion
Disney Deja Vu: The Religious Roots Of The Fight Over So-Called ‘Don't Say Gay’ Law
In Friday’s Weekend Plug-In column, Bobby Ross Jr. focuses on the culture war skirmish between Walt Disney World and Florida lawmakers, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Plus, catch up, as always, on the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Don’t forget! You can subscribe to receive Bobby’s column early on Fridays for only $5 a month. Click the button below to subscribe!
Will More Americans Turn Agnostic On The Gospel Of Disney? by Paul Glader
Securing Peace For Egypt’s Christians At Coptic Eastertide by Miles P.J. Windsor
Don’t miss our latest podcast
Religion, Fertility and the Future with Dr. Philip Jenkins
Dr. Philip Jenkins of Baylor University shares about his research into the correlation between trends of institutional religious practice and trends of fertility. Dr. Jenkins discusses how religious participation particularly among young couples are a factor in driving fertility rates around the globe, and how this kind of statistical analysis can potentially predict global trends. Emceed by The Media Project Senior Programs Manager, Melissa Tamplin Harrison. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or listen directly on our website.
In case you missed it
Editorial picks from our archives
After Fire, Construction To Resume At $77 Million Bahá’í Shrine In Israel by Iain Carlos and Gil Zohar
Bahá’í leaders will resume construction soon on the shrine of ʻAbdu’l Bahá, the Iran-born head of the faith who popularized the religion outside the Middle East. A fire on April 8 caused significant damage to the main building under construction at the holy site on Israel's coast just north of Haifa.
‘Father Stu’ Is One Of The Best Faith-Based Films Ever — But Will Anyone See It? by Joseph Holmes
(REVIEW) “Father Stu” nails the faith-based formula better than maybe any other faith-based film. But it remains to be seen if audiences will come out to see a faith-based film with so much cussing — or where the hero leaves the girl to pursue God.
Thanks again for reading!
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