Four days after their senior pastor pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators, members of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., heard a sermon on biblical qualifications for pastors Sunday. Matthew Queen, who has been on administrative leave from…
Ryan Walters faces challenges on two fronts
Oklahoma’s top education official is facing mounting opposition to his directive that every public school classroom have Bibles for teaching Scripture to students. Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters was sued Oct. 17 by more than 30 faith leaders,…
Culture-warring group seeks ‘biblical worldview’ test for Supreme Court justices
America’s Constitution requires no qualifications for Supreme Court justices, but a culture-warring Christian organization wants to change that by requiring justices to have “a biblical worldview,” a proposal that may violate the Constitution’s ban on religious tests for office holders….
Immanuel Little Rock is making news again
An Arkansas church rocked by child sexual abuse scandals is preparing to adopt bylaws for the first time in its 132-year history, but the draft proposal would muzzle church members from speaking to reporters and nonmembers about the affairs of…
Flint theater baptizes Godspell as a splashy redemption story
To say that Flint, Mich., has a complicated relationship with water is perhaps an understatement. That’s why a production there of the classic rock musical Godspell is drawing a different kind of national attention. The entire production takes place in…
His grandmother’s faith led Willie Brown to San Francisco
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown is known by some as the godfather of California politics, but he wants to be remembered for helping people. “If you are in the business of politics, you come forward with the foundation that…
Bonhoeffer family and scholars warn against Metaxas and Christian nationalists
Descendants of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a number of Bonhoeffer scholars have signed letters denouncing Eric Metaxas and other Christian nationalists they say are twisting the German theologian’s writing to serve their cause. “From Project 2025 to violent political rhetoric, the…
SBC says gender dysphoria is ‘irrelevant’ to Tennessee law banning health care for minors
Gender dysphoria is “irrelevant” to claims of transgender youth and the Biden administration that a Tennessee law blocking gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, according to the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Fighting transgender medical treatment…
PRRI leader highlights gap in gender themes this election year
Focusing on American attitudes about gender and gender roles reveals more about the 2024 election than simply tracking the sex of voters, said Melissa Deckman, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. “That is far more important to understanding American politics,”…