The Supreme Court is declining to wade into a case involving transgender rights and leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that wouldn’t allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there.
A Year After the Election, Trump’s Effect on Evangelical Churches Lingers
Political polarization has subsided in most American churches a year after the 2020 presidential elections. But there are notable exceptions to that trajectory, and new research has found lingering effects of evangelical support for former president Donald Trump.
Abortions fell by half in the first month of Texas’ six-week abortion ban
Nearly 50% fewer abortions were provided in Texas in September compared to a year ago, researchers have found.
US to pay $88M to families, victims of SC church massacre
Families of nine victims killed in a racist attack at a Black South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre.
Baptist World Alliance Women Appoints New Executive Director
Following a global search and interview process, Baptist World Alliance Women (BWAW) has appointed J. Merritt Johnston to serve as the ministry’s Executive Director. She will begin her service in this part-time executive level role on November 1 while continuing…
New ‘Dune’ movie gives us a messiah for uncertain times
Part of the excitement over the new movie “Dune,” which debuted last week in theaters and on HBO Max, is that the legions of fans of Frank Herbert’s mystical 1965 sci-fi novel have been waiting for someone to get the…
Faith Leaders Urge G20 Leaders to Prioritize Creation, People Over Profits
Five Christian organizations that represent 500 million Christians in more than 100 countries issued a joint letter to G20 leaders in advance of their Oct. 30-31 meeting in Rome.
Pope OKs Canada trip to help healing with Indigenous peoples
Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada to help efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous peoples following shocking revelations of the Catholic Church’s role in the abuse and deaths of thousands of native children, the Vatican said on Wednesday.
Book explores how a diverse Jewish neighborhood responded to a horrific hate crime
The three-year anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Wednesday (Oct. 27) will include an outdoor memorial service at Schenley Park, with 11 trees planted to remember those slain.
A new book on faith from popular author who died in 2019
Christian author Rachel Held Evans left behind a legion of loyal readers when she died in May 2019, at the age of 37. Last June, a children’s book she’d been working on was published posthumously and soon topped the picture-book…
Plan to Nix Trump Religious Contractor Rule Nears Release
A U.S. Department of Labor proposal to rescind a Trump-era rule on religious defenses that federal contractors can use to shield themselves from workplace discrimination claims cleared White House regulatory review, signaling it’s likely to be released soon.
Rashad Hussain faces Senate committee on historic nomination
A Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday (Oct. 26) considered the nomination of Rashad Hussain to be President Joe Biden’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Hussain’s confirmation would make him the first Muslim to hold the position.