Three women abused as children at Christian reform schools in rural Southern Missouri publicly urged other victims and witnesses to come forward about their ordeals ahead of a major abuse trial scheduled for the fall. “We just want anyone who…
Louisiana Jews form alliance to oppose gassing as means of execution
Louisiana’s Jewish community has formed an alliance committed to protesting and ultimately repealing a new state law allowing the use of gas as an execution method. The Jews Against Gassing Coalition was formed after the March 5 passage of House…
Hasta la vista! Title 42, but hola! more restrictions
Immigration advocates marked the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s asylum ban by lamenting the policy’s devastating effects on migrants and by warning that even more drastic anti-immigrant actions could be on the way. “Our members have seen the immense human…
Rise of MAGA movement derives from longtime infatuation with fascism, theologian says
The seemingly rapid rise of the MAGA movement and Christian nationalism may be shocking to some, but they in fact derive from the nation’s long-time infatuation with fascism, according to theologian Willie D. Francois III. “America has always been a…
‘The pulpit and the people must see it as our duty and divine calling to condemn the privatization and commodification of public education’
Universal education cannot be protected without grassroots movements led by people of faith, a Florida minister said during the inaugural Pastors for Children national conference. “The pulpit and the people must see it as our duty and divine calling to…
State leaders of Pastors for Children gather to strategize on protecting public education
The first national conference of Pastors for Children was a spiritual and emotional shot in the arm for the organizers of its nine state chapters. “It is inspiring to know the fight we’re facing in North Carolina is happening nationwide…
Legislatures and courts defy the will of the people when they severely restrict abortion, new national poll confirms
A majority of Americans, including most people of faith, support legalized abortion in some form and only 9% want the procedure banned outright, according to a new survey by Public Religion Research Institute. The study, “Abortion Views in All 50…
Church life is the perfect cover for abusers, Brown says in BNG webinar
The all-encompassing nature of church life can provide predators with the ideal cover for committing sexual abuse within congregations, abuse survivor and author Christa Brown said. “Access and trust. Pastors and churches have both access to kids and enormous trust…
Countries repressing religious freedom are reaching beyond their borders, USCIRF report warns
Some nations notorious for oppressing religious freedom at home also waged campaigns of repression against ethnic and religious minorities living abroad in 2023, the U.S. Commission on International and Religious Freedom warned in its latest annual report. “These governments used…