If they haven’t done so already, American churches should brace themselves for the acceleration of social, political and religious trends already ravaging faith institutions, researcher and author Ryan Burge warned. “I think we’re in for a serious downsizing of American…
Violence in Nigeria threatens religious freedom for Christians and Muslims alike, USICRF reports
Religious intolerance and deep partisan divides have given rise to nonstate actor violence in Nigeria that increasingly threatens freedom of belief and practice in a nation once known for its widespread religious diversity, according to a new report by the…
Emotions run high as BNG group walks the sacred ground of Richmond’s mass grave that got paved over as a parking lot
The morning exploration of a long-hidden slave processing site in downtown Richmond, Va., was so overpowering for Kan’Dace Brock that she had to be comforted by others touring the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail and historic burial ground. Walking the location where…
He served on the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, and now he’s rallying conservatives to oppose the death penalty
A former member of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has helped launch a new anti-death penalty group to educate fellow conservatives and lobby state lawmakers about the flaws of capital punishment. The new branch of Conservatives Concerned About the…
Pandemic exposed injustices, but those lessons are fading away, research shows
The realities of racial, economic and gender injustice exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic began to fade from consciousness only a year later, according to researcher Eileen Campbell-Reed. During the first two years of the coronavirus outbreak, the Baptist theologian and…
As the third consecutive woman to preside over CBF, Debbie McDaniel is just as surprised as anyone else
As the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s new moderator, Debbie McDaniel said she wants women and girls to know they have a place in Baptist life, whether as ordained or lay leaders. “I want girls to know you and I are both…
North Texas ministers say state abortion bans violate United Methodists’ religious freedom
Texas’ near-total ban on abortion and its so-called “bounty” law have had a chilling effect on the ability of Methodist ministers to counsel pregnant parishioners in line with their faith’s doctrine, according to a letter sent on behalf of four…
National Association of Evangelicals joins call for attention to climate change
A newly released report on faith and the environment comes from an unlikely source — the National Association of Evangelicals. While many evangelical Christians are known as deniers of climate change science and boosters of fossil-fuel energy — a known…
Warnock tells Dallas congregation, ‘We can make a way out of no way’
Marginalized Americans needn’t settle for the bigotry and division gripping the nation any more than a paralytic healed by Jesus had to settle for ancient prejudices against people with physical disabilities, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said in an Aug. 28…
Faith compels the World Food Bank with supply chain, investment and agricultural engineering experts
Inspired by faith, entrepreneur Richard Lackey has turned his expertise in hedge fund management and emergency response into a passion for combating food insecurity and malnutrition across the planet. But rather than seeking donations to feed the hungry, Lackey founded…
White House acts to ‘preserve and fortify’ DACA, but advocates say that’s the bare minimum needed
A new Biden administration rule designed to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was welcomed by immigration advocates who quickly added that the Aug. 24 White House action is not enough to permanently safeguard Dreamers. “The…
Texas judge blocks HHS enforcement of emergency room abortions, cites religious objections
A Texas federal judge has preliminarily blocked enforcement of federal guidance permitting emergency room abortions in the wake of a major Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.