South Carolina executed convicted serial killer Stephen Bryant by firing squad Nov. 14, making him the third inmate to die by that method in the state in 2025. Bryant died after being shot by Department of Corrections employees. He was…
Christian leaders declare solidarity with Palestinian Christians
U.S. Christian leaders are circulating a declaration pledging solidarity with their Palestinian counterparts and pledging to advocate for a permanent and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. “Our Palestinian Christian siblings are telling us that they are devastated by the extreme violence…
The history of America’s ‘theology of suspicion’
The Trump administration’s vilification and authorization of violence against peaceful protesters at migrant detention centers may be appalling and terrifying but it is nothing new, scholar Sergio González said during the 2025 Shurden Lectures. “The question — When did mercy…
ACA Marketplace increases are slamming church budgets
Church and denominational staffs are scrambling to find employee health insurance alternatives in the event Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of the year. Their dilemma results from Congress’ failure to extend the expiring tax credits as part…
Camp Mystic’s owners hit with four lawsuits
Camp Mystic in Texas is the target of at least four new state lawsuits related to the deaths of 25 campers and two teenage counselors during catastrophic flash flooding July 4. An estimated 135 people in the Hill Country region…
Moody Bible Institute sues Chicago Schools over student teacher placement
Moody Bible Institute of Chicago has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city Board of Education for barring its students from student teaching opportunities. “As a condition of participation, Chicago Public Schools insists that Moody sign agreements with employment nondiscrimination…
BJC Fellows marks 10 years and 100 alumni
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty this year celebrates a decade of developing faith freedom advocates through its BJC Fellows Program. The total number of fellows to come through the program since 2015 reached 100 with induction of the 14-member…
Faith-based groups sue Texas over limitations on investment advice
Business and faith-based investment groups are suing Texas to stop enforcement of a new law that limits expert advice available to investors. “The plaintiffs are faith-based and nonprofit organizations that, as part of their missions, partner with institutional investors to…
Supreme Court hears case of Rastafarian forcibly shaved
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Nov. 10 in a prison abuse case that could affect the religious freedom rights of inmates nationwide. Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections stems from prison guards forcibly shaving a Rastafarian man’s hair…
Trump plans call center in Nashville to deport children
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to escalate the Trump administration’s child deportation campaign with a call center in Nashville, Tenn. “In the notice posted to a government contracting website on Tuesday, ICE officials said there is an ‘immediate need’…
Virginia group files suit to stop school serving Native Hawaiians
A new lawsuit accusing a private K-12 school in Hawaii of racial discrimination against non-native residents is triggering painful memories of colonialism across the state. “It’s upsetting to a lot of people, and it’s upsetting to me,” said Kealahou Alika,…
Christian nationalists and some Jews foresee doom in Mamdani’s win
Christian nationalists are losing their minds over the election of Zohran Kwame Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Before and since Mamdani’s Nov. 4 victory, evangelicals, right-wing politicians and conspiracy theorists expressed fears the Ugandan-born immigrant would…