Oklahoma’s Bible-based K-12 social studies standards are invalid because the state Board of Education violated open meetings statutes in adopting the curriculum in February, the state Supreme Court ruled Dec. 16. The conservative court ruled 5-4 to permanently revoke the…
1,000 pastors gather at Zionist summit in Israel
The fervor of pro-Israel American zealots came into sharp focus during a recent Holy Land visit by more than 1,000 evangelical pastors and with U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee proclaiming himself a representative of the kingdom of God. The Dec. 3-7…
CBF’s Ortiz signs on to campaign against corruption
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Rubén Ortiz is one of more than 20 Latino religious leaders behind a new campaign urging Latin American Christians to actively oppose corruption in church, government and society. “Integrity that Transforms: Churches Against Corruption” was launched…
12 abuses of power cited in Trump’s immigration agenda
The first year of Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign has been marked by misinformation, intimidation and brutality and it’s likely to get worse in 2026, immigration experts say. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is only the beginning,” said Deborah Fleischaker, former acting chief…
Trump’s new envoy wants to wage ‘pro-Semitism’ campaign
Donald Trump’s new antisemitism envoy said he plans to wage a “pro-Semitism” campaign that will aggressively challenge false narratives about Jews and Israel. “Our goal is to lower the rhetoric around the globe immediately,” Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, U.S. Ambassador-designate to…
Trump’s HUD reverses cuts to housing aid after lawsuit threat
The Trump administration suddenly reversed course Dec. 10 on a planned shift in housing policy that would have sent hundreds of thousands of children and adults into homelessness during the winter months, according to advocacy groups. The move came just…
Clergy are essential to resistance against ICE, Chicago pastor says
The visibility and voice of clergy are indispensable to the protest movement forming against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration tactics, said Michael Woolf, a Chicago-area pastor recently arrested outside a federal detention center. “Religious leaders are really important in this…
DeSantis follows Abbott’s lead in labeling Muslim groups terrorists
Following Texas’ lead, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as “foreign terrorist organizations.” “Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including…
US Labor secretary plans partisan prayer service for employees
One of the nation’s leading church-state separation groups has requested U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer cancel a department-wide prayer service scheduled for Dec. 10. “While you are free to participate in religious events and promote your personal religious beliefs in…
Coalition forms to end capital punishment state by state
A coalition of anti-death penalty groups has united to end capital punishment state by state and just as U.S. executions are surging. The alliance of more than 50 organizations was launched earlier this month to coordinate nationwide abolition efforts led…
Efforts to combat global poverty unchanged due to US withdrawal
Efforts to combat global poverty remain unchanged for the second consecutive year in part because of severe cutbacks in American international aid, according to the director of the newly released “2025 Fordham Pope Francis Poverty Report.” “Something has shifted, and…
Trump wants to revoke legal status of refugees already admitted
The Trump administration plans to review and possibly revoke the legal status of refugees resettled in the U.S. during Joe Biden’s presidency. The order affects more than 200,000 refugees who entered the country legally between Jan. 20, 2021, and Feb….