Religious minorities are increasingly leaving European Union nations where they face laws that suppress religious liberty, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “These unduly restrictive policies have the secondary effect of encouraging discrimination at the societal level,”…
‘Stop the Boats’ bill passes UK Parliament but plan to ship migrants to Rwanda ruled illegal
First, the United Kingdom’s government proposed shipping off asylum seekers to Rwanda. That process was ruled illegal by a UK appeals court, but Parliament found another way to block the arrival of asylum seekers. On July 18, conservatives pushed through…
Human rights and advocacy groups call on Congress to stop using white supremacist language
More than 160 U.S. human rights and immigration advocacy groups are calling on some members of Congress to stop espousing the white supremacist rhetoric that inspired a gunman to target Hispanics in a mass shooting in El Paso on Aug….
Texas officials once again separating migrant families
Texas officials have revived a highly criticized anti-immigrant practice of the Trump administration while claiming their approach is more humane. The Houston Chronicle reports that in recent weeks, Texas Department of Public Safety officers have broken up at least two…
John MacArthur’s film glorifies pastors who defied COVID mandates
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down in 2020, many U.S. churches followed government policies and switched to online services, while others met on a limited scale with social distancing and masks. A smaller group of churches opposed official mandates,…
Transitions for the week of 8-4-23
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Bill Boelte, to First Baptist Church, South Boston, Va., as pastor. Chris Boltin, to Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist…
In Zimbabwe, churches turn from free schools to lucrative tuition-based schools
Zimbabwe used to be among Africa’s top five most educated nations in terms of literacy and basic education enrollment. Legacy Christian denominations that accompanied colonial subjection in the early 1900s provided the bulk of quality public education for 100 years….
Gallup finds belief in five ‘spiritual entities’ on the decline
It’s been a rough couple of decades for belief in God, angels, Satan and other key spiritual principalities, new research shows. “Compared with 2001, belief in God and heaven is down the most (16 points each), while belief in hell…
Two little-known groups are training conservative legislators and school board members
Claiming today’s conservative Republicans aren’t anywhere near conservative enough, one activist organization has been training its own brand of passionate GOP culture warriors. “You asked for better candidates — that’s why we created the Statesmen Academy,” says the Family Policy…
CBF gets $1.25 million grant to serve immigrant and refugee families
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will receive $1.25 million from the Lilly Endowment to promote family-church partnerships that help immigrant and refugee parents nurture emotionally stable children. The grant comes through Lilly’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative, which seeks to help…
Why Tyler Childers’ new Outlaw Country music video is dividing fans
There’s another controversy over a country music hit, but this time it is more conservative listeners who are upset with a music video that depicts two men in love. The controversy over country music star Tyler Childers and the music…
What Sean Feucht meant for evil, Flamy Grant experienced as good
Sean Feucht, former worship leader at Bethel Church, founder of the pandemic-era Let Us Worship movement and unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate, didn’t intend to send a drag queen to the top of the Contemporary Christian Music charts. But when Feucht…