As author of the book “Separating Church and State: A History,” I argue that the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission’s broadside on the concept of separation of church and state is misplaced, but not new. Critics have portrayed the idea…
Historic Black Churches Join In—and Opt Out of—America 250
In the days leading up to America’s 250th anniversary, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is joining the festivities in Philadelphia.
National Pride Hits Record Low Ahead of the Nation’s 250th Anniversary, According to New Gallup Poll
National pride is decreasing. Ahead of the nation’s semiquincentennial this July 4, a new Gallup poll finds just 33% of citizens polled are “extremely proud” to be American, a quarter century low in Gallup polling that started in 2001.
From Augustine to Jefferson, the idea of separating church and state has deep religious and secular roots
The Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission released its report on June 26, 2026, on the state of religious freedom in the United States, declaring it to be under attack.
Defying pope and facing excommunication, SSPX consecrates bishops at huge outdoor Mass
Moments after swearing obedience to the Catholic Church, the pope and his legitimate successors, four priests were made bishops without papal approval in what Pope Leo XIV had warned would be a “schismatic act.”
BWA Leader Transitions to Full-Time Role with BWA Women
After seven years of service leading communications for the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), J. Merritt Johnston will transition to a full-time role as Executive Director of BWA Women, effective August 1, 2026.
The Bible verses dividing Washington: How Matthew 25 became a political litmus test
When Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia walked into Speaker Mike Johnson’s office last month, the two men already held starkly different political views. By the time the meeting ended 30 minutes later, it was clear they also sit on different…
Pope promotes Italian nun to top migrant role in his first major appointment of a woman to Holy See
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday made his first major appointment of a woman to the Holy See hierarchy, promoting Italian Sister Alessandra Smerilli to head the Vatican office responsible for migrants, the environment and development.
A Pastoral Response from BWA and UBLA
Faithful to the bond that unites us as Latin Americans and as part of the global Baptist family and deeply inspired by the principles of our Christian faith, we, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Union of Baptists in Latin America (UBLA),…
Amazon’s Second Season Of ‘Hazbin Hotel’ Reinvents Christian Redemption
To understand post-Christian Western culture, watch “Hazbin Hotel.” As America continues to secularize and divide along religious and political lines, our culture is rewriting how we think about human nature and redemption. With its second season, “Hazbin” encapsulates our evolving…
Muslims were part of America’s story long before the republic began
In the 1520s and 1530s, a man named Esteban de Dorantes, known as Estevanico, walked across the deserts of what is now Texas, New Mexico and Arizona – decades before the English founded Jamestown in 1607 and a full century…
ICE releases a Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit
A nun was released from immigration custody after she was arrested walking to Mass in her habit in South Texas.