A new effort to preserve historic Black churches in the United States has received a $20 million donation that will go to help congregations including one that was slammed during the tornado that killed more than 20 people in Mayfield,…
The Queer Mikveh Project immerses marginalized Jews in a changing ritual
Last Passover, a group of 125 Jews gathered via Zoom for a community mikvah ritual. Dr. Harriette Wimms, a queer Black Jewish psychologist and kohenet (Hebrew priestess), opened the ceremony by pouring libations, an African tradition of granting a water offering…
Jon Meacham, Bishop Michael Curry discuss religion, politics and insurrection
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attacks — where Christian symbols and prayers were on full display — can religion still be a force of unity and goodness in America?
Scholar: America is still reacting to the religious right, in more ways than one
A religion scholar believes major trends in religion and politics can be traced back to the rise of the religious right in the 1990s, a sea change moment that set in motion an array of phenomena ranging from an uptick…
No, Religious Freedom Doesn’t Send People to Hell
Last week an old video resurfaced on Twitter in which John MacArthur, pastor of Los Angeles’s Grace Community Church, announced he did not support religious freedom. In the clip, MacArthur argued that supporting religious freedom promotes idolatry and enables the kingdom of darkness—that…
‘Dark Money’: Faith-Based, Other Nonprofits Funnel Tax-Free Money To Political Groups
While Uncle Sam grants Americans tax deductions for charitable giving, the government prohibits deductions for donations to political groups.
Vaccine mandate updates: Federal court halts mandate against Navy personnel seeking religious exemption, and more
Although the U.S. Navy offers a procedure to request a religious accommodation from the Biden administration’s rule requiring all servicemembers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, “it is theater,” according to a federal court in Texas in a case brought by…
King’s last full year of life: Protest, praise, ire, incarceration
While Martin Luther King Jr. Day is mostly commemorated with quotes and clips of King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech and footage of bus boycotts and the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, some of the most important…
Florida Republicans craft restrictive abortion law Democrats have little power to stop
State lawmakers in Florida are planning to pass legislation this year that would drastically limit how and when people can access abortions, a move sure to inflame growing tensions nationally over conservative efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Neo-Nazi leader sentenced to 7 years for plot to intimidate Jews, journalists
A Neo-Nazi leader convicted in a plot to intimidate Jews and journalists has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
How the Vietnam War pushed MLK to embrace global justice, not only civil rights at home
On July 2, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. stood behind President Lyndon Baines Johnson as the Texan signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although not the first civil rights bill passed by Congress, it was the most comprehensive.
James opens gubernatorial campaign with evangelical appeal
Business owner Tim James appealed to evangelical Christian voters as he opened his Republican campaign for Alabama governor Wednesday, railing against the threat of “godless Marxism,” quoting scripture and claiming God has called the conservative state to lead the nation.