The former Southwestern Seminary professor who confessed to lying to the FBI about a sexual abuse case was sentenced March 5 to time served, to be followed by one year of supervised release that includes six months of home confinement…
As Trump tries to kill refugee resettlement, groups issue ‘Ash Wednesday Declaration’
The American Baptist Churches in the USA and The United Methodist Church are among a host of religious bodies joining Church World Service in issuing an “Ash Wednesday Declaration” in support of refugee resettlement work. The declaration comes as the…
Views of Israel, Ukraine and Mexico differ greatly by partisanship
Democrats and Republicans hold wildly different views on Israel, Ukraine and Mexico, according to new data from Gallup. When asked to rate their views of countries as either negative or positive, Americans diverge the most on views of Israel, with…
Oklahoma parents sue Walters to stop Bible curriculum in schools
The families, teachers and religious leaders already suing to block Oklahoma from buying classroom Bibles are now attempting to prevent the state from purchasing a Scripture-based curriculum for elementary school children. The plaintiffs filed a brief with the Oklahoma Supreme…
Views on LGBTQ rights differ by state, party and religious tradition
As legislators in some states seek to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, a new national survey finds public support for LGBTQ rights differs strongly by state, party and religious tradition. Although marriage equality appears to…
Revised book highlights religious freedom for African Americans
The Black church and community must band together to bring ancestral wisdom to bear against white Christian supremacy, said William Lamar, pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., which recently won a court judgment against the Proud…
Walesa and Polish prisoners of war denounce Trump’s treatment of Zelensky
Polish democracy advocate Lech Wałęsa and 39 other former prisoners of war sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump expressing panic and dismay at the way he treated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last Friday. “We…
Judge rules Summersett lawsuit against Kanakuk may proceed
Last week, Christian County judge Jessica L. Kruse ruled against motions made by Kanakuk Kamps and ACE Insurance Co. in a fraud case filed against them by sexual abuse survivor Andrew Summersett. Despite their arguments that Summersett’s claim was filed…
In states and counties, Republicans move to restrict Democrats, same-sex marriage and trans existence
Empowered by Donald Trump’s rapid-fire attempt to change American culture, some state legislators and county leaders are pushing the envelope even further, seeking to eliminate rights for people they despise or fear. In Fort Worth, Texas, the chairman of the…
Trump pledge to protect kids from trafficking at odds with child immigrant policies
The Trump administration’s efforts to deny legal services to unaccompanied migrant children and to target minors for deportation do not line up with the president’s stated concerns about the trafficking of minors, child protection advocates said during a virtual press…
Pay attention to the victories against Trump, Buttigieg advises
Yes, things in Washington, D.C., are as bad as you think they are and, in fact, are worse than you realize, Pete Buttigieg told participants in the Together for Democracy conference Feb. 26. The former secretary of transportation was the…
Founder of ‘Thank You Jesus’ yard signs arrested for child sexual exploitation
Lucas Timothy Hunt, the 25-year-old founder of Thank You Jesus Yard Signs, was charged Feb. 25 with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor in Randolph County, N.C., after a brief investigation by the Invictus Task Force. North…