One of the evangelical groups that helped send Donald Trump back to the White House held a massive rally for the once and future president in Phoenix over the weekend, and Trump pledged to keep the promises he’s made to…
Biden commutations leave only 3 on federal Death Row
Two days before Christmas, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates remaining on federal Death Row. The action follows an organized campaign by death penalty opponents — including some evangelicals — asking Biden to…
Understanding Christmas traditions is a matter of time
Christmas and New Year’s are fascinating seasons for scholars into temporal studies, the emerging academic field concerned with the ways humans understand time, author and cultural historian Alexis McCrossen said. “Holidays are special moments in time and special moments on…
3 killed as Methodist violence flares in Nigeria
Three United Methodists were killed Dec. 15 when a United Methodist Church in northeast Nigeria was attacked allegedly by supporters of the breakaway Global Methodist Church. A few days prior to the attack, a dissident organization that has promoted the…
Pew study documents combination of religious repressions in some countries
Nations with governments highly repressive of certain religious groups usually have societies equally antagonistic toward religious minorities, new research shows. “Government restrictions and social hostilities tend to go hand in hand,” Pew Research Center says in its latest report on…
White House plan to combat Islamophobia draws mixed reviews
A new White House strategy for combating anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred has received differing reactions from U.S. faith groups and left some wondering if the plan will survive the incoming Trump administration. Released Dec. 12, the 67-page blueprint outlines federal,…
In three-hour interview, Mohler says he ‘hopes and prays’ Jimmy Carter is born again
Al Mohler has to “hope and pray” Jimmy Carter is a born-again Christian, he told a conservative podcaster in a wide-ranging interview. But the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had no qualms about voting for Donald Trump for U.S….
Meet the couple behind the David Platt documentary
When Jeremiah and Laura Burke produced their documentary about Pastor David Platt, they never imagined it would reach a global audience. Released in fall 2023, the film has garnered more than 100,000 views on Conversations that Matter alone, with additional…
American views on illegal immigrants aren’t as clear cut as MAGA thinks
Attitudes toward unauthorized immigrants and the specter of mass deportation by the Trump administration are complicated, according to recent surveys. Recent polling by Pew Research Center finds majorities of Americans expressing concern about the number of undocumented immigrants in the…