Activists are stepping up pressure on the U.S. to grant asylum and other protections to Black Mauritanians facing imprisonment, torture, execution and slavery in the northwest African nation. Mauritanian diaspora leaders and other advocates participated in a June 6 webinar…
New assistance programs cause poverty rate among immigrants to fall in U.S.
Poverty fell steeply among immigrants in the U.S. after the Great Recession and even further during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Migration Policy Institute. The study analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to measure the way…
27% of Americans are still watching religious services online
While church attendance in America has declined slightly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, how people attend religious services appears to have stabilized, according to Pew Research Center. “As the coronavirus pandemic winds down, about a quarter of Americans…
‘Leaders are formed in the leading,’ Bolsinger advises pastors
Clergy become transformational leaders by experiencing the disappointment, loss and fear congregations exhibit when faced with innovative change, church coach and author Tod Bolsinger said. “Leaders aren’t formed and then get called into leadership. Leaders are formed in the leading,…
Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’
Modern American Christian nationalists stand apart from their predecessors who at least claimed some degree of respect for religious freedom and other values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, a religion scholar said. Catherine Brekus, professor of the history of religion…
Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week
Editor’s note: this report was updated June 2 to add updated information. Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina has undergone a shakeup in leadership in recent weeks after one official was accused of killing a neighbor’s dogs and another abruptly…
Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress
Faith-based immigration advocates are getting behind a new bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to strengthen border security, protect migrant children and create pathways for permanent residency for qualified immigrants already in the United States. The Evangelical…
Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants
A coalition of American civil rights groups is pressing the White House to enact policies to protect undocumented Black migrants from deportation they believe stems from systemic racism. The Southern Poverty Law Center joined the NAACP, the Haitian Bridge Alliance,…
Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids
Transgender people often know by kindergarten that their bodies and gender identities do not line up, a health care expert said during a virtual panel discussion about trans health and emotional development. And contrary to the claims of conservative politicians…
New documentary series shows how churches that close can keep ministry open
Invested Faith will premiere a mini-documentary series to inspire closing churches to donate assets to help social entrepreneurs bring about change in the communities they serve. The faith-based organization launched by Amy Butler announced the first video in the series…
8-year-old’s death in CBP custody highlights Biden’s ‘system of death,’ immigration advocates say
Some immigrant rights advocates are calling the Biden administration’s border and asylum policies “a system of death” after an 8-year-old migrant girl died May 17 while in American custody at the U.S.-Mexico border. That was the label Hope Border Institute…
Here’s another angle to corporate DEI work: Increased support for ‘faith friendly’ workplaces
U.S. Fortune 500 companies ranked as the most “faith friendly” in a newly released survey share practices such as providing chaplains and spiritual care in the workplace, openly addressing religion in company diversity training and matching worker contributions to religious…