He’s got a message of hope and compassion for all of us!
THIS WEEK, we welcome back Shining Brightly author and inspirational speaker Howard Brown with news that—despite dire news reports about him a month ago—he is still alive and now expects to triumph over his latest aggressive cancer. In addition to the good news that a team of cancer specialists at Harvard are giving Howard a new chance at life—there are 4 important reasons Howard wanted us to publish this story right now. Want to know what they are? Well, please read this Cover Story to find out—and share it with friends. This kind of inspirational news can bring a warm smile to folks you know.
(And—here’s a hint! One of the 4 reasons is that today, March 10, is his birthday. If you’re among our many readers who follow Howard’s work, an easy mitzvah “good deed” today is to take a moment and wish him Happy Birthday!)
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And more good news
Hmong families celebrate a 50th anniversary—
We’ve got a timely book about that community
MSU BIAS BUSTERS PROGRAM FOUNDER JOE GRIMM writes our Front Edge Publishing column this week about a fascinating book that helps us to understand more about our Hmong-American neighbors.
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And, on the Homefront—
MANY OF OUR WRITERS AND READERS have thanked us in recent months for publishing links to their columns about human rights, diversity, interfaith understanding and the belief that peace is possible in our world. So, we will continue to highlight these values as they relate to weekly headlines by sharing some of the links you’ve sent to us.
Remembering Martin Marty (1928-2025)—
SINCE THE DEATH OF THIS GIANT AMONG SCHOLARS, we’ve been inundated with notes, tributes and links to columns about Martin Marty. When our publishing house was founded in 2007, Marty was among our mentors encouraging us to establish a publishing house dedicated to fair, accurate and balanced coverage of religion. Here are several links to stories about Marty’s life that are well worth revisiting:
- Here’s a link to the official New York Times Obituary, published on March 2, 2025.
- Here’s a wise, funny and heartfelt tribute from Marty’s son Peter in The Christian Century.
- And even though this final piece was published way back in 1986, it’s worth re-reading because it was written by a one-time “dean” of religion writers Richard Ostling for TIME and opens with perhaps the best-known joke about Marty’s prodigious energy as a writer.
Looking for Clarity in Our American Maelstrom
MARTIN DAVIS—author of our Thirty Days with America’s High School Coaches—wrote this editorial, headlined “These are trying, and promising, times,” for his FXBG Advance newspaper.
TOM FOX—a contributing writer in the book National Catholic Reporter: Beacon of Justice, Community and Hope—this week, wrote the commentary “Hope emerges from visible, widespread, undeniable betrayal” in The National Catholic Reporter.
JEFF MUNROE—author of Telling Stories in the Dark—wrote “Trump, Musk and the Gulf of America: Lessons in Irony” in his online magazine, The Reformed Journal.
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Holidays & Festivals
Why We Cover These Stories
EDITOR’S NOTE: The ReadTheSpirit community of writers is proud to find ourselves among the “keepers of living memory” about the special religious and cultural observances that shape the lives of billions of men, women and children around the world. If you feel the same, please share Stephanie’s columns with friends, each week, via social media or email.
Holi certainly is colorful!
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A season of fasting—and special foods
Ramadan is also about sharing food
LET’S START OUR COVERAGE OF THIS THEME by jumping over to the website hosted by our friends at the International Association of Religion Journalists, who have just posted this story from Malaysia about the importance of food in that Asian Muslim nation during Ramadan. “Thanks!” to Zurairi AR in Kuala Lumpur for this fascinating story about how journalists in Malaysia are covering these stories this year.
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And then:
How many Christians follow fasting traditions during Lent?
AND WHAT DOES “FASTING” MEAN? Holidays & Festivals expert Stephanie Fenton reports on these fascinating questions and, of course, she also provides links to delicious recipes that are a distinctive part of this season.
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Preparing for Purim with a fast?
OBSERVANT JEWS AROUND THE WORLD also will be fasting for one day in mid-March in preparation for the joyous celebration of the holiday Purim.
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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com
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Faith & film
Citizen George
For a time such as this, it’s hard to imagine a more helpful film
Our online magazine has specialized for many years in covering news about religious and cultural diversity as reflected in new books, holidays & festivals and films. In 2024, our long-time film critic Edward McNulty died. In 2025, we will continue to publish important reviews—sometimes by drawing on Ed’s considerable body of work and sometimes by welcoming other writers.
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