“I was leaving the Garden, the evangelical church, and the only version of myself that I had ever known. I was choosing who I wanted to be — but I had no idea who she was.”
‘Brazil’s Trump’ Bolsonaro lost — but anti-democratic movements seldom accept electoral defeat
This Sunday Lula won the Brazilian presidential election by an extremely narrow margin, though Brazil’s future remains in the balance. Bolsonaro and his allies engaged in systematic militarized voter suppression on the day of the election, hoping to stage a…
How America’s conservative youth movement grew a powerhouse on the cult of rage
Polls show younger Americans are a lot more liberal than older Americans. But over the past decade, Republicans, aided in large part by major white evangelical donors, have invested heavily in building a well-organized conservative youth movement to lure young people —…
From atheist churches to finding healing in the ‘sacred flower of cannabis,’ spiritual but not religious Americans are finding new ways of pursuing meaning
According to a recent Pew Center report, American Christianity remains in a nearly three-decade decline. Responding as “none” or “unaffiliated” on religious surveys, people increasingly identify as humanists, atheists, agnostics, or simply spiritual. If current trends continue, by 2070 Christianity may no…
Ahead of midterms, faith plays central role in Republican efforts to win Latino votes
Pastor Luis Cabrera, who leads City Church Harlingen in South Texas, foresees a “godly wave” in next week’s midterm elections, particularly in his home state, where he has acted as a spiritual guide to a group of Latina Republicans seeking…
As Christian nationalism digs in, differing visions surface
When Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke took the stage at the ReAwaken America Tour in Pennsylvania over the weekend, the throngs who had come out to hear conspiracy theories and inflammatory rhetoric about Democratic candidates instead heard Locke aim some of…
Swastikas daubed on signs at Buchenwald camp memorial site
Swastikas and other far-right symbols were daubed on signs at the national memorial complex that stands at the site of the former Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, authorities said Friday.
Calvin Butts, leader of Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, dies at 73
The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, the senior pastor of New York’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, who followed in the footsteps of prominent Black ministers and paved his own path of leadership in education, health and political circles, died Friday…
Five States to Vote on Abortion Rights This Election Day
For decades, pro-life advocates argued that overturning Roe v. Wade would enable each state to determine its own abortion policy. Abortion measures will appear on five state ballots on Election Day this year, the most in US history.
Faith groups focus midterms mobilization on multiracial, multifaith voter protection
Two years ago on Election Day, Pastor Lee May, leader of Transforming Faith Church, a predominantly Black congregation in Stonecrest, Georgia, served as a poll chaplain, posted at a local voting site to promote calm at a time of intense…
A Texas candidate wants you to know he’s the ‘only Christian’ running. His opponent is Jewish.
Why does the Texas railroad commissioner want voters to know he’s the “only Christian on the ballot”? Well, for one thing, his name is Wayne Christian, and it’s a handy way for voters headed to the polls on Nov. 8…
Environmental Train Wreck: Houston’s Black Churches Fight Pollutants
Long before two cancer clusters were discovered in their Houston neighborhood, residents and fledgling activists met in churches and community centers across the Greater Fifth Ward, slowly building what would become a groundswell of environmental justice work in one of…