It was no doubt a chaotic news week — and that’s putting it lightly. At Faithwire, in addition to uplifting and enriching stories, we strive to bring you the most unique and intriguing angles to some of the biggest stories of the day.
So, with that in mind, you can read this week’s 10 most notable and thought-provoking stories:
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1) Federal Judge Neil M. Gorsuch has finally been confirmed to the Supreme Court after a week of wacky back-and-forth tactics in the U.S. Senate. That aside, we brought you a fascinating, 222-year-old history lesson that proves political infighting is nothing new in our republic.
2) A dog in Nigeria is now being hailed a hero for sniffing out a suicide bomber in a village wedding crowd last Sunday; the pooch bravely saved the lives of scores of people.
3) Parents were about to lose hope when their son fell down a flight and stairs and ended up in a coma. But then the unexpected happened: He woke up, spoke and his road to recovery has continued to be nothing short of a miracle. Read about it here.
4) Syria has obviously been all over the headlines this past week, and Faithwire has penned quite a few pieces about what is unfolding amid the country’s ongoing civil war. Find out how members of Congress — and those around the world — reacted to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike a Syrian base.
5) And while we’re talking about Syria, there’s an associated theological debate that has been raging in recent years; it’s based on a simple yet fascinating question: Is chaos in Syria fulfilling Bible prophecy? Dive into that debate here (preview: some well-respected faith leaders say “yes,” while others say the assertion is absurd).
6) While we’re talking about international crises, Trump also must grapple with the ongoing detainment of a U.S.-born Christian pastor who says he’s being held in Turkey simply because of his faith. Trump was heavily critical of Obama back in 2013 when Pastor Saeed Abedini was held in Iran — but is Trump now taking his own advice to expedite another U.S. pastor’s release?
7) And for the last Trump story of the recap: It turns out some religious groups aren’t quite on board with Trump’s pledge to overturn the so-called Johnson Amendment, a law that bans churches and nonprofits from endorsing political candidates. In fact, a coalition of 99 religious groups sent an April 4 letter to Congress urging politicians to push back against Trump’s repeated pledge to overturn the law. Find out more here.
8) Moving on, a popular Bible app has released the first-ever Christian devotional that uses virtual reality to help people connect with the gospel. It’s a pretty cool Easter reflection that’s worth checking out.
9) Also, Islam is poised to become the world’s fastest growing religion, with Pew projecting out to offer a lens into what the world will look like, faith-wise, in 2060.
10) And this last story is certainly odd, comical and intriguing: Researchers believe that the recent discovery of 3,000-year-old donkey dung could actually help corroborate the Old Testament account of ancient history. Yes, you read that correctly. Here’s the explanation.
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Other Must-Read Stories:
— ‘Act of War’: Members of Congress React to Trump’s Order to Strike Syrian Air Base
— 99 Religious Groups Hit Back at Trump’s Pledge to Let Churches Endorse Political Candidates