(REVIEW) We live in the future: Instant communication across the globe, huge swaths of music, film and TV available whenever the fancy strikes; two-day delivery, one-day delivery or even same-day delivery for items too numerous and varied to attempt to list; devices that fit in a pocket or a backpack with astounding computing power. It’s an era brimming with technologies of convenience that would seem, at first glance, to have made life easier and better. Yet somehow all these purported solutions have created new problems. Gabe Bullard’s new book “Against Convenience” addresses some of these problems and argues “not against an easier path, but against the idea that the paths in front of us are truly any easier.” religionunplugged.com/news/b…

Christians make up roughly one percent of Japan’s population — about 1.9 million adherents, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs' annual Religious Yearbook. It is a community that has survived a 250-year ban under the shoguns, the torture and martyrdom of its faithful and forced submission to the wartime emperor cult. religionunplugged.com/news/j…

(ANALYSIS/@tweetmattingly) During the days when the livestream was in play, the Hasan drama offered a case study for modern Christian debates about capital punishment. Catholics cited the evolving Catechism. Protestants debated Old Testament passages supporting public executions. religionunplugged.com/news/2…

"From the Yazidis to the Rohingya, from the Uyghurs to other communities facing growing threats around the world, the use and abuse of AI, technology and social media must not go unpunished. Ignoring these new methods of persecution means that responses to such atrocities will never be adequate." -@EwelinaUO religionunplugged.com/news/2…

For this week’s show, @mattmaxpete spoke with writer and rambler @IsaacFitzgerald in order to separate fact from fiction in the tale of Johnny Appleseed, and to understand how Isaac’s path, like Appleseed’s, led to a connection with nature, an openness towards faith and a few legends of his own. youtu.be/qb9Ajza6g9E?si=3NWx…

(Weekend Plug-in/@bobbyross) 🗒️ Does Old-Fashioned Reporting Matter To Christianity Today? Some Say No 🔌 religionunplugged.com/news/2…

Taiwanese society is a unique blend of superstition and modernity. For example, Taiwan leads the world in semiconductor technology, yet you’ll find green bags of Kuai Kuai snacks by the same engineers’ machinery to keep it running (kuai means “well-behaved,” and they’re green so the machinery will “go”). I’ve even seen a bag next to a life support machine in an emergency room. religionunplugged.com/news/y…

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday in Rome that confirmed he has lung cancer, the Vatican said. religionunplugged.com/news/2…

Defying all odds, the man who has done arguably some of the most convincing work in proving the scientific viability of reincarnation was a white American psychiatrist who died as recently as 2007. On this week’s podcast: a look into the life and work of the anomalous Dr. Ian Stevenson. youtube.com/watch?v=Mn3dm8wI…

The Houthis continue to be a powerful force in the Middle East. But who are they and what exactly do they believe? religionunplugged.com/news/w…

JOHANNESBURG — Many parents who are subjected to abuse by their children often suffer in silence and fail to speak out about their pain. A Christian camp helps rebuild respect between parents and children @Vicky_SAbraham religionunplugged.com/news/c…

NORWICH, England — Anglican churches began celebrating the Feast of Creation for the first time early this past September, stressing the need to care for God’s creation, nature and the environment. Yet this is nothing new for the many churches and cathedrals that have been quietly participating in nature and horticulture as part of their daily mission. religionunplugged.com/news/2…

NYANGA, Zimbabwe — Nyangani Mountain, the highest peak in Zimbabwe (standing at 2,592 meters above sea level), has been the source of local intrigue for decades: People have gone missing, strange natural phenomena have created inexplicable mystical experiences; and now, some are even claiming the mountain is home to UFOs. religionunplugged.com/news/c…