Baptist News Global’s top 15 most-read news stories in 2025 covered a broad spectrum of controversial issues ranging from immigration, church sexual abuse, attitudes toward LGBTQ rights and congregational leadership.
Many of the high-interest articles were in some way about the strain of Christian nationalism being propagated through the policies, theologies and actions of the Trump administration. These include reports of immigration raids in houses of worship, the arrest of a progressive pastor for praying on federal property and plans to enforce a conservative evangelicalism on military chaplains. The selling of blessings by Trump faith-based advisor Paula White, and Franklin Graham’s claim the president was divinely called, also were of major interest.
Multiple stories about the internal battles embroiling Houston’s Second Baptist Church were of high interest to BNG readers, as were reports of a Church of the Nazarene minister defrocked over LGBTQ beliefs, sexual abuse allegations at a Christian college and news of the death of Jennifer Lyell, a key figure in the Southern Baptist Convention sexual abuse crisis.
A few articles written in previous years also made reappearances on the most-read news list, among them a 2021 story about evangelicals raging against empathy and a 2024 report on former SBC leader Johnny Hunt claiming to be the victim of sexual abuse. A 2022 article about evangelist Charles Stanley’s financial successes also made a reappearance.
One first-time oddity this year is that 13 of the 15 most-read articles were written by the same person, BNG Executive Director Mark Wingfield.
Following is BNG’s Top 15 list of most-read 2025 news articles:
- “Trump’s Faith Advisor Selling Seven Easter Blessings,” By Mark Wingfield, March 25, 2025 — Evangelist Paula White, head of the White House Faith Office, sold seven “supernatural blessings” at $1,000 apiece during the “Passover season.” Customers were promised “a special year of blessing” for partaking in the deal.
- “Quakers file suit to stop ICE raids at churches like what happened Sunday,” By Mark Wingfield, Jan. 27, 2025 — An immigrant arrested on the grounds of Iglesia Fuente de Vida, a church in Dekalb County, Ga., came on the heels of President Trump’s decision to allow immigration enforcement raids at houses of worship, hospitals and schools.
- “Jennifer Lyell, key figure in SBC abuse crisis, dies after brief illness,” By Mark Wingfield, June 8, 2025 — Former Lifeway Christian Resources executive Jennifer Lyell, a key figure in the SBC sexual abuse crisis, died June 7 following a massive stroke. Her accusations of abuse by a Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor generated massive turmoil within the denomination.
- “Houston lawsuit is a tale of pastoral succession, megachurch wealth and family dynasty,” By Mark Wingfield, April 23, 2025 — Allegations of deceptive practices, an improper church business meeting and family greed embroiled Second Baptist Church in Houston months after long-time Senior Pastor Ed Young stepped down and appointed one of his sons to replace him.
- “Amid LGBTQ controversy, social work dean ‘steps down’ at Baylor,” By Mark Wingfield, Sept. 25, 2025 — Dean Jon Singletary abruptly left the Baylor University School of Social Work following criticism from outside conservatives about a grant to study loneliness among LGBTQ and women churchgoers.
- “Have you heard the one about empathy being a sin?” By Mark Wingfield, Aug. 24, 2021 — Conservative evangelicals argued that empathy requires Christians to acquiesce to sinful beliefs and behaviors such as homosexuality. Sympathy is better even if it seems judgmental, they claimed.
- “Theologians push back on JD Vance’s view of ‘ordered love,’” By Mark Wingfield, Jan. 30, 2025 — Vance claimed “the left” reversed the proper order of love, which is to begin with love of family followed in order by love of neighbor, love of community, love of fellow citizens and country, and finally love of “the rest of the world.”
- “William Barber arrested for praying in Capitol Rotunda,” By Mark Wingfield, April 29, 2025 — Pastor and civil rights leader William Barber and others were charged with “crowding, obstructing and incommoding” after praying in the U.S. Capitol just days after a meeting by President Trump’s anti-Christian bias task force.
- “Franklin Graham equates Trump’s inauguration with God’s blessing,” By BNG Staff, Jan. 20, 2025 — Samaritans Purse leader Franklin Graham equated Trump’s election as proof America is “the nation whose God is the Lord” and thanked God for sending a president called to end “pretty dark” times.
- “Truett-McConnell trustees to meet as sexual abuse scandal worsens,” By Joe Westbury, June 5, 2025 — University officials met to consider accusations by a former student and employee that she was sexually abused over multiple years by a former Truett-McConnell vice president.
- “Johnny Hunt tells his side of the story, including his definition of ‘adultery,’” By Mark Wingfield, July 14, 2024 — Hunt claimed in a deposition to be the victim of a witch hunt in a case in which a pastor’s wife said she was fondled and kissed by the former Georgia pastor and SBC leader. He also claimed adultery and sexual abuse can only happen when full intercourse is involved.
- “At nearly 90, Charles Stanley makes half a million a year and his ministry is awash in cash,” By Mark Wingfield, Aug. 31, 2022 — Stanley was still drawing a annual salary of more than $500,000 from In Touch Ministries, which collected nearly $100 million the year before the COVID-19 pandemic and tripled cash assets from 2015 to 2019.
- “More accusations fly at Second Baptist Houston,” By Mark Wingfield, July 1, 2025 — Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against church leaders contending the church’s longtime senior pastor, Ed Young, made significant changes to church bylaws without proper notice, giving him and his successors nearly total control over the church’s assets and governance.
- “Church of the Nazarene defrocks retired professor over LGBTQ beliefs,” By Mark Wingfield, July 8 — Steve McCormick, a retired professor from Wesleyan-Holiness Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., lost his clergy status amid the denomination’s ongoing efforts to control beliefs around human sexuality.
- “‘Nazi-like’ ad campaign uses religious imagery,” By Mark Wingfield, Oct. 23, 2025 — Department of Labor advertising campaign has been criticized for mimicking Nazi-era propaganda, in part by elevating white masculinity and erasing racial minorities from civic life.
Also coming this week: BNG’s most-read anbalysis and opinion pieces of 2025.