News & Views

News and Views

1 week ago

2026 Annual Report to Members The Directors of the Pastoral Bible Institute, Inc. (PBI), and the Editors of our publication, The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, rejoice in having served another year in the harvest work (Matthew 20). Our work will continue until the Lord indicates otherwise. It was a year of momentous changes in our operations. During the year, our Assistant Secretary, Joanna Christiansen, entered into rest. Sr. Joanna handled many responsibilities for the PBI from her location in Washington, so it […]

News and Views

2 months ago

Religious The death of Jesus is by far the most well-known example of crucifixion. In ancient times, crucifixion was actually a fairly common form of punishment, but no physical remains from any crucifixion had been found. Then, in 1968, archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis dug up a Jerusalem tomb that contained the bones of a man named Yehohanan who had been crucified. Examining Yehohanan’s bones revealed details about one of the Roman crucifixion methods. Both of his feet had been nailed together to the […]

News and Views

March 1, 2026

Religious Stefan Hensel, Germany’s only Jewish antisemitism commissioner, has announced his resignation, effective at the end of 2025. The role involves documenting antisemitic incidents and serving as a contact point for the Jewish community. Hensel said he is experiencing a “massive wave of hatred” and now needs personal security at public events. He also mentioned that many Jews in Hamburg are discussing emigration. Sweden “has become one of the most complex and challenging places for Jews in Europe,” with violence and protests […]

News and Views

January 1, 2026

Religious A dedicated prayer room for Muslims has reportedly been opened inside the 500-year-old Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome after visiting Islamic scholars requested a separate, carpeted space. The Catholic Herald reports that Fr. Giacomo Cardinali, Vice Prefect, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Muslim scholars had asked for a space to pray, and the library agreed. “Some Muslim scholars have asked us for a room with a carpet for praying and we have given it to them,” he said. — […]

News and Views

November 1, 2025

Religious The city of Jerusalem froze the bank accounts of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The move is the latest development in a long-standing dispute between the church and the municipality over the church’s large landholdings. The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the biggest landowners in Israel, controlling large areas of land well beyond historic churches and religious sites. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, is built on land leased from the Orthodox Church. — RNS, 8/15/2025 Religiously unaffiliated Americans make up […]